Don't
by SuzumeHatake96
Summary: What if Katherine had a long-lost sister? Will she be able to escape Klaus' thirst for revenge? And most importantly, will she be able to fight against the charms of the mysterious Damon Salvatore? ...
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

"I SAID STOP!"

I pushed my legs forward until I could feel them no more. Running at "vampire speed" was useful, but it really tires you off. I felt the cold wind that was blowing that night, and my wavy hair moved as I ran without stopping.

My breath was going away, and I thought I would collapse any minute there. I turned at a corner, in an empty ally, and when I turned, I caught a glimpse of three bodies closing in on me.

"These Petrova chicks are really hard to catch, aren't they?" A tall man said. He was wearing black clothes and he had a big scar on his face.

I could feel the horror in my face, as he got closer to me. Two more bodies appeared beside him, facing me.

"What do you want?" I screamed, horrified. I swear to God that if my heart could beat, it would be right out of my chest. At the moment, I felt like crying. I was exhausted, and I felt like giving up right there.

"Klaus would love to see you again, Lidya… We're here to take you back"

I took a step back until I felt the brick wall with my back. He saw that, and he prepared to lounge at me. I defended myself, and my fangs showed. My eyes turned red, and I suddenly felt a big urge to grab him and just finish him off. I ran towards the third unknown vampire, and before he could grab me, I snapped his neck. He fell onto the floor, and then I went for the leader.

I began to run towards him, but something stopped me completely.

"Gah!" I felt a stabbing pain in my chest. I could tell that it was coming from right beside my heart. Then, I saw blood, my blood, and a wooden stake that was piercing the left side of my chest. That was bad, and I wasn't healing quickly, for I hadn't fed in about a week. I was weak, and they had me.

"NO! You fool! She needs to be alive for Klaus!" He faced the second vampire, apparently the one who had stabbed me. I couldn't see clearly, and I fell to my knees.

"Ugh… you – bastard…" I said as I felt like fading from the pain in my body.

"Come on, sweetie, you won't escape. Might as well come with us now."

I made a grin. "Well, you… can go to hell"

His eyebrows closed in, and he walked towards me. His fist got tighter, and he stood in front of me as I lay on the cold floor. I closed my eyes, and I felt a hard punch on my face. I grunted loudly, and now my face was covered in blood too. The blood stained the cold floor, and I was losing myself…

The second vampire took a step forward. "Come on, let's get on with this – "

"No. Leave her. She won't make it if we take her. We'll come for her later. Klaus needs her alive." Those were the last words I heard before they disappeared. I saw nothing but darkness, and I wasn't feeling really good. I couldn't believe it took that little to take me down.

I began to fade, and then I felt raindrops fill my face one my one. I closed my eyes and let the darkness consume me. The strong smell of blood filled the air, and I got dizzy. Finally, I blacked out, just as I felt two cold hands grab me and pull me up…


	2. Arrival

Chapter I

I woke up to find myself in a big, warm place. From what I could see, it was a bedroom. I was lying on a wide bed with white sheets and big pillows. My head was resting on one of them, and my whole body was perfectly still and straight. I suddenly panicked when I saw the blood stains on my clothes and remembered what had happened. The idea of not knowing where I was scared me, so I tried to get up quickly. My body still ached from the injuries, but the hole I had on my chest was gone, only blood and marks remained. I sat up, letting my legs fall on the floor beside the bed. I felt dizzy and I couldn't see everything very clearly. I looked around. The light was soft, warm. Then I smelled something. A bittersweet scent filled my nostrils. I turned my head at the little table that was beside me and saw a small glass full of blood. I wasn't fully recovered, so I took it. I felt relief, as I tasted every single drop of blood that ran through by throat. That gave me a little boost, and then I got up.

I looked around one more time as I walked. I saw a door, so I went to it, but something stopped me. I felt a horrible burn on my right arm, and in about a second I realized I was standing in front of a window. I yelled softly and drew back as the light smoke that came from my arm dissolved quickly.

"What?" My ring… where was it?

I panicked again and started searching. I looked everywhere until I finally found it under some papers that were on the table. The big green stone was shining bright, and I grabbed it as fast as I could, placing it on my finger. I walked through the light again and nothing happened. Good. I returned to the door and tried to open it. It was locked, so I couldn't get out. I thought of escaping through the window, so I opened the big glass doors and took a peek outside. Just when I was about to jump, I heard a noise.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" A voice said.

I turned quickly to face the door. It began to open slowly, and a body stepped in. A man with black hair and black clothes entered the room. From what I could see, he was on his early twenties, but maybe I was wrong. He was very fit and quite handsome, and he was staring at me with piercing blue eyes. He stood motionless with his arms crossed. At first I felt scared, but he seemed good. He wasn't going to hurt me. Well, at least it was what I thought at the moment. Not everyone can be trusted, so I just stood there in silence.

"So, I see you found your ring." He said as he took a step forward.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" I asked slowly.

"Well, when you find people like you, unconscious and alone in the street bleeding to death you don't usually just leave them there" He said while he walked to the table and organized the papers I had grabbed. He wasn't watching me as he said that, but I was staring very closely.

I remained silent for a moment. What was I supposed to do? He had me trapped, and I assumed he wouldn't let me go just by asking him.

"Who are you? Where am I? How did – "

"Whoa, whoa, listen. I am more interested in knowing how did you end up in a situation like that. If someone did that to you, it should mean that you are in serious trouble." He said, making a big emphasis on _serious._

"That's because I am" I said very softly "Please, I need to know where I am. I should really be going…"

"You're running from something." He said calmly, while walking towards me. He knew things, but how… "So, from what exactly?"

"Don't you think a name would be nice?" I smirked and crossed my arms too.

"Hmm, smart." He smiled at me. "I'm Damon. Damon Salvatore"

"Salvatore? You're a Salvatore?" I asked.

That name brought me a lot of memories. But… Katherine. That was it. I remembered her, and the days I spent watching her, waiting…

"The one and only, well apart for my baby bro… Anyway, I guess you should give me information too. Now, who are you?"

Damn. Well, I guessed that it would lead to a long background story… I sighed and stared at him. I knew that once I said the name, he would know, just like I new his.

"Does the last name Petrova ring any bells?"


	3. Background Stories

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Well, before I do anything else, I must say that I am a BIG Delena fan, and I always will be, but this seemed like a really god idea at the moment, and come on, our Damon deserves some loovee (: So, now that's settled, hope you like it!**

Don't – Chapter II

"Wait, wait, wait. That's absurd"

"Is it?"

"No way, the Petrovas are dead." Damon said in a defying tone, smiling as he was one hundred percent sure of his answer. I could see that he doubted, however, for his smirk seemed insecure as he thought of the possibility of being actually wrong.

"You know that's not true" I said as I smiled at him, still with arms crossed, defying him back.

"But that can't be right. Everyone _is _dead"

"What about 'Katherine'? That's how they are calling her nowadays, right?"

He just stared. I knew I was winning this argument, and that he was getting quite confused. I was gaining confidence as I talked to him, and seeing how he reacted at the name I had said, I could tell that he knew what I was talking about.

"What would you know about Katherine?"

"Well, I should know enough. We are related after all." Now he was getting it.

"You're lying… Her family is dead. She doesn't have any relatives left"

"And after all this time you still believe what _she_ says" I said with a tone full of pity.

I knew it all. I knew how Katherine had manipulated both the Salvatores and many other people in this town. The way she toyed with them. I had spent many years watching her and tracking her movements, and I was very aware of the things that went on in Mystic Falls while she was with them.

"So, what are you saying?

"What I'm saying is that not everything that comes out of my sister's mouth is true" I said as I took two graceful steps toward him.

He remained without talking for a few minutes…

"What? No, no, no, wait. You… How?"

I sighed and said, "Tell you what. You let me out of this room, and I will explain everything you want me to explain"

He was still looking at me, filled with doubt. In a second, he opened the door and took two steps out. He stood beside the door with his head low, waiting.

"Well?" He asked, waiting for me to get out.

I walked towards him, but when I took a step out, he dashed at me and grabbed my neck.

"If you're Katherine's sister, how in hell are we supposed to trust you?" He said angrily while breathing heavily. He was pretty strong, but not enough…

I grabbed his hand twisting his wrist. I made him let go of me and pushed him against the wall. He grunted and then just looked at me, surprised that I was stronger than him.

"Because I want her dead just as much as you do," I said in a serious tone. "Now, are you going to listen to me?"

I let him go slowly. He sighed and stretched his arm making a sign for me to go through the door.

"Shall we, then?" He smiled, and I went out, having him following me.

We got to a big, beautiful room with dark and brown furniture and big lamps. I noticed the big fireplace with beautiful details, and big stacks of books piled up everywhere. Damon was still following me until I stopped. He walked toward a small bar filled with bottles and poured some whiskey in a small glass, and then he sat on a single couch. I sat on a larger couch, crossing my legs. He handed me another glass without talking. I took it but didn't drink it. Instead, I placed it on the table in front of me and stared at him as he drank all of his.

"So, you and Katherine…" He began, breaking the deep silence between us. "… You're…-"

"Sisters" I finished.

"And, how? I mean, what are you doing here in Mystic Falls?"

I sighed, "Do you really want the whole background story?"

"If you're going to stay here, we will have to know everything you can tell us. So, let us start with a name." He smiled at me and leaned back in his seat.

"My name is Lidya Petrova. I am Katherine's younger sister. Ever since I can remember, Katherine was always there with me. We were a happy family back then. Our parents were never really present for us, and we were by ourselves most of the time… I still recall… she resembled my father…

When we got older, rumors about murders and disappearances began to burst all over the place. Anyway, one night, a man broke in and kidnapped me while I was out doing laundry. No one seemed to have noticed, so no one followed us. I woke up later that night, and they held me with them for a few days. Their names were Elijah… and Klaus." I gave a little emphasis on that last name. "I'm sure you're familiar with those names"

"You knew Klaus?" He sounded surprised.

"Yes, probably better than anyone. They held me as a 'prisoner'. Klaus thought that I would lead him to Katherine, but I never gave in. He somehow knew I would never talk and give her to him, but he seemed to trust me. Elijah and me were his right hands. We did many things for him, but Elijah knew we weren't really destined for that. As a human, Elijah found himself very interested in me, but Klaus wanted even more of me. He wanted me to give him Katherine.

Sometimes, Elijah told me things about Klaus. Where he went, what he wanted, and much more. As I kept refusing to tell him where Katherine was, he threatened to kill me, but he still needed me alive, so instead, he turned me. It took a while for me to get used to being a vampire, so I had Elijah as my instructor. When I refused one more time, he threatened to kill my family, along with Katherine and now me. Before I knew it, they were already dead…"

As I talked to Damon, I started to remember. When I found out they were dead… I got really pissed at that bastard Klaus. But then Elijah… he helped me. I noticed Damon was still listening, but sometimes he seemed quite lost, probably trying to put pieces of information together.

"But anyway, I couldn't stand it. And at the time I didn't know that Katherine was fully aware of the whole situation. I knew she had escaped on her own, and when Elijah found out, he helped _me _escape. I knew he wanted Klaus dead, so he showed me an exit, and I took it. 'We'll meet again' he had said… But know he's dead, right?" I smiled filled with regret.

Damon's face went blank, probably because he was the one who had killed him. I knew that already, but that didn't matter know…

"So I've been running ever since… I've heard that Klaus blew with rage after Katherine and I escaped. And that now he's obsessed with finding us. Well, I guess it's easy for me. I know how Klaus works; I know how to deal with him. I guess it's harder for Katerina…"

"Huh… you have no idea," Damon said, drinking some more.

"I got to watch Katherine very closely for the past few years, and I am aware of all the things she has done. I know what she's done to you and your friends, and I… I am here to stop her."

He didn't speak. It took a few minutes for him to react.

"Stop her… You do realize what you would have to do in order to stop her forever…"

I stopped for a second and then talked.

"I'll kill her if I have to"

"What?" He asked slowly.

"The Katherine I knew… my sister… she's not there anymore. She's been dead since she turned. Might as well end her now."

He didn't react for a few minutes, but then he stood up and pulled me up the couch.

"Kill her… How can I help?"


	4. Those Little Things

Don't – Chapter III

"Help? No, no, if I do this, I do it alone. I have my reasons…"

I was still standing in front of Damon, who now had a look of surprise on his face. I hadn't come all the way here to make teams to kill_ my _sister. I knew it wouldn't be easy, and I didn't want to put anyone in danger, considering the fact that Klaus was still after us…

"Hah, believe me, I have plenty of reasons, too." He said in a persistent tone.

"But… no. I don't need help, much less someone to worry about."

"Oh, you won't have to worry about me. I'm a big boy, I know how to handle myself." He smirked and turned around, walking to the small bar to pour himself another glass of whiskey.

I sighed. I wasn't really getting anywhere with this argument, so I just gave in for now. I would think of something else later…

"Well… what would you do, then? To help?"

"I told you I would help you do it. But then again, it will be rather hard. Anyway, I'm sure Stef will want in too, I guess that's kind of an… advantage." He changed his smirk for a grin. "I'll tell him later, it's getting late."

I hadn't noticed that I had lost track of time. It was probably nightfall already, and I was still here.

"You're right. Well, then, I should get going." I turned and walked towards the door. In a matter of a second he appeared in front of me and just stared.

"Where are you going?" He said suspicious.

I gazed upon his face. His dashing blue eyes were big and shiny. I had to look away.

"Um, I don't know. Out."

"Where are you staying?" He asked. He knew I wouldn't give him a straight answer.

"Well, you know… here and there. Streets are rather interesting, have you tried them?" I said sarcastically, hoping he would let me go soon. He laughed softly.

"Enough said, you're staying here."

"What? No, I can't. I won't, in fact…"

"Hey, first of all, you don't have a place to stay. I won't let you sleep in the streets. And if you do remember what happened yesterday, and I mean the part where they almost _kill _you, then the more reason for you to stay here." He said. "So I believe that's a point for Damon Salvatore, thank you very much."

"But… -"

"Ah! Don't." He raised a finger to silence me, and so I did. Ugh, I didn't like this.

"Now, come on, I'll take you to a room" He said, waling towards the stairs. I followed him reluctantly, I mean, what choice did I have left. He did have a point…

"Here." He opened a big door that led to an enormous bedroom. I noticed the huge bed and big windows at it's right. I also saw a small opening which led, from what I could see from where I was standing, a big, beautiful bathroom.

"Wha…- What is this?" I asked, astonished.

"It's my room." He said.

"Wow… so, are you a fan of hotel room catalogs or something?"

"Hmm, I take it that you like it?" He sighed.

"Anyway… No, Damon, I won't take your room."

He smiled. "Oh, yes you will."

"No… I mean, why don't you give me the room from earlier? The one in which I woke up today."

He laughed. "Seriously? It's all filthy from yesterday. Now, _this_ is way better" He took a look at the room.

"But still! I already _agreed_ with staying here for a while, you don't have to do this" I said.

"Just _take it._" I could see he was getting annoyed and tired.

"But then where will _you_ sleep, huh? This is _your _room."

"God! You're very difficult, you knew that?" He said to me smiling. "Don't worry, I'll be in another room, okay?" He opened his arms and pointed at the dark hallway. "There's like a thousand rooms in this house, so chill. Or who knows, maybe I'll just crash in with Stefan" He smiled as he joked.

"Fine…" I said forcefully. I was getting tired too.

"Thank you." He said loudly and sighed.

"And what about…-"

"Clothes?" He cut me off. "I got it covered. There are some in the closet over there." He nodded and pointed to a space beside the bathroom. "Well then, I shall go now." He smiled and headed to the door. "You have yourself a good night." He said and winked at me. I just stared at him from the other side of the room.

"Yeah, goodnight Damon. Thank you."

"Anytime" He smiled _again. _It was as if it was kinda growing on me… "Goodnight, Lidya" and with that, he closed the door. I sighed.

Minutes later, I searched in the closet he had mentioned, and I took some pj's out. Simple: shorts and a tank-top shirt.

Sleep came easily for me that night. No worries, no dreams… just sleep. But I knew this wouldn't last forever. Not until all of this ended… Not only did I had Katherine, but also Klaus I had to worry about, and it wouldn't end until he was stopped… But even so… both Damon and I knew it was impossible.

I woke up late that morning, the clock marked it was almost 11:30 a.m., so I got up, fixed my hair a bit, and went downstairs. I was heading for the kitchen, but I hadn't seen anyone yet.

"Hello?" A voice finally called. I didn't recognize it though, for I hadn't heard it before.

I turned around to see a tall man, even taller than Damon, with light brown hair and green eyes. He stood there, looking at me with doubt.

"Oh, god. I'm sorry." I said looking at myself and grabbing my pajamas. "Um, you must be Stefan."

"D-Did my brother bring you here?"

"Damon? Oh, yes, he, uh, he did" I said. "He's really persistent" I smiled.

"I'm sorry. I know his behavior can be a bit… extreme." He put his head on his forehead and sighed. "Uh, I can take you home if you want me to" He got closer to me, and I could smell him. He smelled like forest, and blood.

"What do you mean? Is there something wrong?" I asked, confused.

"Well, didn't you… uh…" He stopped there.

Then, I knew what he meant. He thought of it wrong…

"Oh! Oh, no, no, you mean we… No, I didn't, I did _not_ sleep with your brother if that's what you're talking about." I stuttered as I tried to get things right with him.

"Oh… um, I'm… sorry?" He said embarrassed and then laughed nervously. He half-smiled at me. It was odd seeing that after getting used to Damon's smile. "Well, then you didn't…-"

"Believe me…" A voice said from behind. "She didn't" Damon appeared beside me, smiling at Stefan. I turned to him and rolled my eyes.

"Damon." Stefan said and nodded.

"Good morning" Damon said to me without paying attention to Stefan.

"I made you breakfast." He said.

"Huh?" I said looking at him forcefully. So that's where the smell came from…

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "For you _and_ Stefan"

Stefan looked at him suspiciously, while Damon turned around and led us to the kitchen. We entered and I saw three plates with eggs and toast on them.

"What's this?" I asked

"Since when do _you_ cook?" Stefan said.

"Well, it's good for you to return to the human stuff once in a while. Don't get all feisty, I did it for all of us." Damon said handing me a fork. "Anyway, there are some blood bags downstairs if you want them." I gave him a look. "Don't worry, they're from the hospital. Besides, I wouldn't want to have to deal with the revenge of the bunny families Stefan just massacred." He got me to laugh a little.

"Okay, wait a minute. I believe my brother hasn't introduced us properly" He said.

"I'm Lidya Petrova," I said slowly.

"Wait, what?" He said seriously. Damon sighed.

"Okay, Stefan. There's not time for chatty-chat" He pointed at me. "Petrova. Katherine's _sister_. On good side; _our _side. Wants her dead like we do, but _also _a target for Klaus. Has been escaping. Almost died. Being my awesome self, I saved her and brought her here. We're going to help her and she's going to stay here with us. Ta-dah…" He finished, making my whole story into sentences that took 30 seconds to say.

Stefan remained silent, and then he said, "Can we trust you?"

"You can." I said. He looked at Damon, and he nodded. I could sense Stefan's nervousness, so I just smiled at him, letting him know that I _could_ be trusted.

Later that day, Stefan went out hunting again and Damon had gone to get more blood bags to put on the storage, so I went upstairs having the house to myself. Then, I found books. Thousands of them, so I took 2 or 3 into Damon's room to read them later. I was about to take another one from the top shelf, but I started to trip. My body was heading towards the stairs, and my high-heel shoe broke as I stepped wrong. I lost my balance and grunted as I began to fell. "Shoot!" It all happened so quickly, but just before my body crashed down the stairs, something caught me.

"Ow!" I said. I noticed I was already on the floor downstairs, but I landed on top of someone.

"Ouch… Wow, you'd think that being a vampire would give you better reflexes." I opened my eyes and saw Damon. His body was below mine and his arms were wrapped tightly around my waist.

I sighed, "I just tripped."

"Of course you did" He smiled. I pulled off from him and stood up while taking my shoes off. "Sorry…"

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine"

"Well, I'm going to put these things in the basement, so please don't make me have to save you from breaking your back again" He winked.

"I was distracted, okay?"

"I'm just saying… My hero skills may not be available _all_ the time." He said.

"Gosh, does your ego come with an on and off button? Because I would _really_ like to turn it off."

He laughed softly "You're not that lucky"

I smiled as he walked away.

Night came quickly after the not-so-pleasant stairs incident. I went up to the bedroom and took a shower. When I got out, I noticed something lying on the bed. It was a long, beautiful dark purple dress with small, sparkling stones for decoration. I leaned in closer to look at it better.

"Nice, right?" Damon appeared and sat on the bed.

"What is this?" I asked, astonished.

"I got it for you" He said. "I thought this color would look good on you" He looked at me, and then the dress, like trying to picture me in it. "Oh, yeah, definitely." He smiled that Damon smile…

"And what's it for, may I ask?"

"You're wearing it to the Founder's Ball tomorrow. And _you're _coming with me." He said, not as a question, more like a statement.

"Excuse me?" I smiled.

"He sighed. "I'm sorry. Would you do me the honor of 'escorting' you to the Founder's Ball tomorrow night?" He bowed down a bit and smiled.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope. I have to _protect_ you, remember?" He said. I just stared at the dress. "Anyway, I think this is settled, so get some sleep, and I'll se you tomorrow." He said and headed for the door. I was still staring at the dress… "Goodnight" He said

"Goodnight" I responded just before I noticed he had already disappeared.


	5. Founder's Ball

Don't - Chapter IV

_Oh, Founder's Ball. Fancy dresses, dancing, music, drinks; perfect. Unless of course, everything comes back to kill you…_

Founder's Ball night came quickly. Nothing new had happened around in the boarding house, so I just focused on getting on with this night already, since it was the only thing _new_ that was _actually_ happening. Earlier that evening, Damon had instructed me to get dressed, while he and Stefan got themselves ready. I took a shower (a long one apparently) and then fixed my hair into long, smooth curves. After I did my makeup, I put on my platinum heels and went for the dress on the bed. I began putting it slowly so I wouldn't ruin my hair, or the dress for that matter. I guessed I was doing fine by myself until I heard a voice.

"Need some help?"

DAMON'S POV

"Knock, knock." I said, not paying attention to the fact that I was already in. How rude of me… yeah, right.

Then I saw her. She was beside the bed, with the dress on, trying to reach the zipper on the back. I rushed to her standing behind her. "Here, let me."

Before I touched her, she turned to see me. She was all ready, and her face was, huh, what was the word… perfect, maybe. Not too much, it suited her.

"What?" She asked, with me still looking at her deeply. I cleared my throat, fighting the feeling to laugh at myself. It was kind of embarrassing, though. It seemed dumb and childish that I was acting this way. I mean, I don't recall the last time I actually let my true feelings get in the way… It was weird. Well, it's not my fault she's so… hypnotizing. Yes. Wait, what? Oh, did I really think that? My bad… Won't happen again. I went back to reality with her, and she still looked at me.

"Nothing, I said let _me_ do it." I responded. She smiled and stared at me. "You know, if you want to stare a little longer, you just have to ask, I'm available." I smiled, watching as _she_ eyed my clothes carefully. I smiled at her when she looked away.

"Ahem, you were helping me?" She rolled her eyes at me. I could see I annoyed her. Why? No idea. I often have that effect on people. Not to mention my big use of sarcasm and my considerably huge _humility_ above all.

"You don't have to be so grumpy about it. Just trying to be nice." I said, as I got closer to her to help her. As she moved, I could smell her. Her hair gave away a sweet fragrance, and her whole body captivated me with its scent. She smelled like… vanilla.

What the hell… I'm smelling her now… not cool.

I finished getting her zipper and then I took a step back. She turned to face me, smiling.

"So?"

_Wow… _"Hm. Well, I guess it's almost all right."

"Gee, thanks." She sighed. I laughed and brought my hand to my pocket. Then I got something out, walking towards Lidya again. "_Maybe _this can make it even better." I got behind her once again and placed a platinum necklace on her neck.

"There. Now you're… okay, I guess." I joked as I turned to look at her completely. She smiled that smile I liked.

"Where did you get this?" She asked, admiring the necklace with surprise.

"Oh, does it really matter? Now, let's go, shall we?" I said quickly, not letting her ask more about the source of the necklace. I had found it in a small box on a drawer inside my room while she was out. I didn't recall the time when I actually _got _it or _where _did I get it. It was old fashioned and fancy, so I presumed it was from around 1864, but I didn't recall getting it for any of the girls I met back then in the army. Not even for Katherine. I guessed it was probably my mother's then. So, it had no use now. Might as well give it to her tonight.

"It's beautiful. Thank you." She said gently.

"It is, isn't it? Well, we should be going. You're ready?"

She sighed. "Yes, let's go." And then I followed her out the door.

LIDYA'S POV

After a not-so-long ride, we got to the Lockwood Manor. When we entered, I saw every room being filled with people I didn't know. It hadn't changed much since I saw it 100 years ago (more or less). Fancy, big; yeah, just as I remembered. After Damon got us some drinks, I began to get quite bored. I noticed not many people were dancing, but later on, the 'dance floor' began to get more crowded.

"Listen, I got to go talk to Sheriff Forbes. I won't take long." Damon said as he walked away. For a few minutes, I just stood there, watching people dance and letting memories take me far away once again, until I was interrupted.

"Hello, miss." I heard a voice say. I turned my head and saw a young man with dark brown hair, tanned skin toned, and green eyes.

"Uh, hello?" I said. He smiled a wide, confident smile.

"Let's dance, shall we?" He grabbed me by the hand and led me to the dance floor.

"Whoa, hey wait, I don't even know you? What's the deal?" I said, getting defensive.

"Well, let's get to know each other. So, tell me, is your name as beautiful as your face?" He said smiling. _Ew…_

"Seriously? _That's_ your pick-up line? I said as we started to move along with the soft music playing on the background. He held me close to him and I just couldn't move. He was tall, and strong. He was smiling as he shoved me from side to side while grabbing my waist.

"So, what _is _this about, huh?" I asked.

"Well, I just thought that _you_ would like to dance with _me._" He got his hand in his pocket and brought something out. He got it, and I saw a rose with pink petals. He handed it to me, and I accepted it, reluctantly.

"Yeah, well, I usually don't dance with total strangers, so, _goodbye_." I said, trying to break free from him.

"No, wait" He said forcefully while leaning over to me. He was close, _too_ close, so I tried to push him aside without results, until he stopped.

"Excuse me." I heard Damon's voice behind the man. He had his hand on his shoulder, holding him tightly.

"Is there something wrong?" The man asked, defying Damon.

"Leave the girl alone, and walk away" Damon ordered with a smirk on his face. The man had let go of me, and they were now facing each other.

"I'm just keeping her company, so chill and back off."

"Well, I'm the one who'll do that, got it? Now leave." Damon said, getting closer to him, tightening his fist. He was getting pissed, I could see it. The man looked at him fiercely and then walked away slowly behind me.

"Wow" I said as I turned around and began walking away from the dance floor. Before I could go any further, Damon grabbed my arm and pulled me back in.

"I don't think so." He put held me close to him, expecting me to follow, and so I put my arms on his shoulders. As he moved along with me, I felt different. He didn't held me like the other guy did. Damon was strong too, but gentle. I know I hadn't known him for long, but he made me feel safe. He almost made me forget about Katherine. I knew he was an… ass, and that maybe he bugged me and annoyed me to hell, but he was nice. I could see he cared, but I could also see that it was difficult for him…

"You don't have to do this," I said, referring to the whole dance thing.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked, avoiding my comment completely. He wasn't looking at me. His head was next to mine, and I could feel his cool breath in my ear.

"What do you mean?"

"Who was that?" He asked.

"Oh, him? I have no idea, but man, was he annoying."

"I don't want you near him, okay? I don't trust him." He said.

"Hmm, do I detect a glimpse of jealousy, Mr. Salvatore?" He stood silent for a moment while I smiled. "Just stay away from him, please. For me." He said, slowly and gently. I sighed.

"Fine, I will" I said, giving in.

He stopped talking after that. When we finished, I went to get another drink. I reached the small bar, and when I finally got the drink, I went out for a few minutes. I was getting rather tired, so I just needed some air. I waited a few minutes until I decided to go back inside and search for Damon, but when I turned around, I saw the brown haired man again. He was getting on my nerves, because he wouldn't go _away_. It was dark outside, so I couldn't really see him clearly. We were far outside the Manor now, and everything was dark.

"What now?" I asked him in annoyance.

He just looked at me with a blank expression. He took a step forward and mumbled, "I'm… so sorry." I stood quiet. He kept approaching, and in one try, I ran towards the door at vampire speed, but to my surprise, he moved along with me and stopped me.

"What the -? " Vampire. He was also a vampire. So, that meant, I_ was_ in trouble. He held me tightly by the shoulders and I saw his eyes turn read. The veins around his eyes got thicker, and his fangs showed up, but I noticed that his expression was sad. As is he was… suffering. "Please, you… you must come with me." He said, stuttering and shaking. He was strong, but it wasn't enough, so I broke free and grabbed a sharp piece of wood and staked him on his chest.

"Sorry, I don't really go for weirdos."

He grunted loudly and fell to the floor. I could notice he was in a _lot _of pain, but then he spoke.

"Kill me. Kill me now, please!" He said. I turned around.

"What?"

"If you don't, then… he will." He said, his voice low and broken.

"Who sent you?" I asked cautiously, getting an idea of what was going on. He kept silent, while he began bleeding on the floor.

"Klaus." The word just escaped my mouth.

I saw him flinch at the name, and then he grunted in pain again. I realized I had hit him hard enough to be almost dying.

"Why did he send you? What is he planning?"

He breathed heavily. "I… I- I can't. He…"

"Oh, come on. You know he'll kill you anyway." I said.

"Well, well, well. You _did _find her. Good job." I heard a new voice coming from the darkness behind me. Behind the man on the floor, a new silhouette appeared. I could see he was remarkably older, because the one I had staked was probably two or three years older than me (in our human years). He looked at me, and I understood. Klaus had found me once again, and they were doing the job for him. He turned to face the man on the floor. He sighed.

"Look at you. He sends you to kidnap a girl and you end up dead. You really are new at this, aren't you? Pathetic." He walked over to him and pulled the stake out of his chest. The guy yelled and I saw he was bleeding even more. He was still on the floor while covering the wound I had caused him.

"So, I guess I'll deal with you later. For now…" He said and then turned to face me. "… We'll be taking you." He started to walk towards me and I retreated, but before he could get to me, I felt a rush of air in front of me. Suddenly, Damon appeared before me, covering me with his whole body.

"Like hell." He said

"Move. This isn't your call. We're taking her." The older man said. "Klaus would be thrilled to see you, dear." He told me.

"You can tell Klaus to go to hell. She's not going anywhere, got it?" Damon told him. I didn't know what to say. Damon threatening Klaus wasn't the smartest idea, and I wanted him to shut up already.

"Not likely, boy. You'll be dead before I can even deliver that message." I could see Damon get tense.

"Wait…" The younger man on the floor spoke.

"You?" Damon turned to him and then me. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from him?"

"And I did!" I said.

"You can't kill them…" The brown haired man said again, slowly.

"Shut up before I kill you along with them." The older man said as he kneeled beside him. "Besides, telling from your wounds you'll be gone easily."

"You did that to him?" Damon whispered to me. "Geez…"

"Uh, yeah…" I responded. Then I spoke to the older man. "Wait. Leave him. Don't kill him." I said referring to the man on the floor.

"And who are you to give me orders?" He said. "Come. Now"

"She's not going with _you._" Damon said.

In a flash, the older man lounged at him. Damon got his on the stomach, and I moved away from him.

"Damon!" I cried for him. I ran to the young guy and picked the stake up. Getting back to where Damon was, I pushed the older man away and stabbed him on the heart. It would buy us some time to escape.

"Let's go. Come on." Damon said, grabbing my arm.

"Wait!" I said "Let's take him" I turned to the young man on the floor.

"Are you mad? _He's _the bad one here." Damon said.

"No, he was forced, and now he's dying because of me. He… he tried to apologize. Let him come, he'll get killed."

"Fine with me if he does."

"Damon, he might know stuff about Klaus. He can help us." He stood silent and angry. He just stared at me. I flinched when I saw the older man move again.

"Crap…. Fine, bring him. Just move."

By then, the brown haired man was probably unconscious, so I wrapped his arms around me, and then ran along with Damon back to the boarding house. After being "invited in", I took the man to a room next to Damon's. I placed him on the bed and treated his wound. Damon entered with a bad of blood in his hand.

"Can't he just get out already?" He said handing me the bag.

"Not until he's recovered. Don't get so feisty, it won't take long."

"I don't trust him. He tried to kill you, remember? I'm just saying that I usually don't help and feed my enemies in my own house." He said.

"He'll leave, I promise. Just, trust me on this one, okay?" He sighed.

"I'll… be downstairs if you need anything."

I smiled at him, and then he got out the door. I fed the man some more blood and then he woke up. His eyes were big and shiny, and he just turned his head to me.

"Huh… what?"

"Shh, you'll be okay." I said

"You… saved me?" He said. "No, no. If he finds out, he'll come, and he'll take you, and…"

"Hey, we can worry about Klaus later. You need to rest." He sighed slowly. He closed his eyes, and touched his wound lightly, smiling.

"Ow…"

"I'm sorry I staked you on your chest"

"Sorry I tried to kidnap you," He said.

"I guess we're even" I watched him close his eyes again. "Wait. Your name. What is it?" I said.

"Vane. Vane Reilly." He said, almost out of breath. He smiled.

"Lidya." I said.

"I know…" He said, and then he didn't speak. He had fallen asleep in minutes; so I went down to find Damon. He was standing at window, staring at the night sky.

"How is he?" He asked

"He'll be fine." I said getting closer to him. He turned around and stared.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Why are you like this?" I ignored him completely. "You worry too much."

He walked over to me and stroke my face gently. "I'll protect you, no matter what. You know that." I was surprised, and I just stared at his dashing blue eyes. He moved to pick something from the table and brought it to me. I smiled.

"Look at that. Twice in a day." Another rose, this time, a red, darker one. He held it before me, and smiled.

"I thought mine would be better. Although I'm a little late…" He said.

"Thank you."

"Go rest, I'll watch him." I gave him a look. "I _promise_, Lidya. You can trust me." He smiled again.

"Fine." I turned around and walked towards the stairs. "Oh, hey." I said. "Thanks for tonight. Apart from almost getting ourselves killed, I had…fun."

He laughed. "Anytime."

"Goodnight, Damon." And I went away, leaving only with his smile on my mind.


	6. Listening

**Author's Note: Hello, guys, First of all, for all of you who really like this story so far, thank you so much. Also, I am sorry for taking a ling time to update, so here's a long new chapter for you ;) I'm sorry, not a lot of Damon on this one D: Had to get Vane's past out of my system.**

**Also, I wanted to ask: Do you think this narrating style is better than the old one, or should I change to the character's (Mainly Lidya's) POVs again? Thank you for your reviews! **

Don't – Chapter V

Few days had passed since the rather 'unexpected' event at the Founders Ball. In fact, it wasn't unexpected _at all. _Thinking it over, Lidya found it surprisingly _funny._ What was Klaus thinking? Sending a boy that was clearly against him, but too scared to defy him, and a man that would rather kill her before getting on with Klaus' order. Ah, yes, hilarious, indeed.

She kept wondering why would Klaus risk loosing that much time. But that was all right. Vane turned out to be a really good 'guest', although not entirely fitting into that category, since Damon considered him to be nothing more than a burden. A burden he had to feed and watch… _constantly. _Personally, he didn't pay him much attention. Instead he chose to pester Lidya about what a lovely pet she had brought into the house.

Stefan was also around, for he too felt, in his kind and good way, that Vane needed help, seeing that Damon wasn't too eager to do it.

Well, of course he wasn't! He didn't even like the guy, much less taking care of him. Nevertheless, _she _wanted him there, which only made Damon more annoyed.

Stefan's presence didn't help either. Secretly he just wanted the house for Lidya and himself.

_Stop that… You know that isn't going to happen anytime soon. _So he just played along. Unwillingly, but he did. At least Lidya was happy with that. That's what mattered.

That morning, Lidya woke up early, for she owed Vane a blood bag from the storage. To her surprise, this time there was no sight of Damon, who greeted her every time she got out of the bedroom. She guessed she had become used to hearing his melodious voice full of charm and mocking tones to make her laugh and cheer her up. But not this time.

She kept walking to towards Vane's room, which was a few rooms away from Damon's bedroom (She refused to call it hers, no matter how many times Damon told her to accept it). She got to the door and knocked, hoping not to disturb the young vampire's sleep. Slowly opening the door, she entered.

"Vane?" From the bathroom, the man heard her. He heard her soft, smooth voice calling his name, in a way that no one had in a very long time. He was used to hearing his name being called out in shouts, orders, and threats coming from low, dark voices. But this wasn't the case. This time it actually made him feel safe, wanted… _insecure._

He walked out of the big bathroom, to see Lidya searching for him. He watched as she stared at him, without moving, with a kind of horroron her face.

_Right… I'm shirtless… _He looked at himself. "Miss Lidya, I am terribly sorry. I shouldn't be appearing like this. I- I…"

"What happened to you?" She couldn't take her eyes off his uncovered upper body. It wasn't the body _exactly, _but his wide, long pattern of scars.

The shocked brunette didn't know how to answer that question. He didn't even know if he _wanted _to. He didn't show his scars to anyone, much less talk about them. Every time he even touched them, or felt their presence on his tanned skin, he hated himself. Hated what he had become, what he was and had been. For what he had done, both willingly and by force.

"Everything but the pretty stuff, I suppose." He said as he directed himself towards the bed. He sat on the left edge that pointed to the door, so that he was facing Lidya, who was still standing still, gazing upon what she thought was a tragically gorgeous body.

"Did he cause them?" She asked him, placing herself next to him.

The man smiled to himself, knowing the person she was referring to. "Not exactly"

"What does that mean?"

"Some were caused by him, some by… other people…" He let out a sigh before continuing. "… And some were made by me." A feeling of disgust ran through his insides. He could almost swear that he remembered the origin of each and every mark on his body. Most of them still haunted his memory, making him remember those horrible 'games', as Klaus liked to call them. Violent, bloody games he didn't want to play.

"You? Why would you do that? Isn't being what we are enough torture?" The girl asked him, reflecting on the many horrors that being a vampire brought to her.

"Exactly." He responded. "But I prefer _this_ torture." He turned in his place to be face to face with Lidya, who was obviously confused. "I… I am not a killer. I do not _enjoy _taking someone else's life away. Klaus new that perfectly well."

"So why stay? I mean… Why try to get away until now?"

The man sighed. "Well, you lived through that too. It's not easy. You were very lucky… having someone to help you escape. In my case, it was all thanks to you."

Lidya's lips formed a light smile at that statement. Vane had been trying to express his gratitude in every way possible, thinking that a simple 'thanks' wasn't enough.

"So, how did you get stuck with Klaus anyway?" She asked.

"Ah, not a very interesting story, if I might say." He smiled as he leaned back on the bed.

"Interesting or not, I want to know. Come on, Vane, you can share your past with me. It's not going to kill me or anything."

"Very well then." He locked eyes with the girl before him in a deeper way than a few minutes ago. "It happened in 1901. From what I remember, I had been living in England since I was a kid."

"England? So what's with your absolutely-everything-but-British accent?" She said, imitating a very convincing accent herself.

"Like you, I have been around a lot of places. Changed the accents to fit in a few societies." He pointed out. "But anyway, I still remember everything that happened the day I met Klaus. I remember the people I saw, the things I did… everything that went on."

_England, 1901_

"_The Queen… is dead." People whispered in the streets non-stop. Everyone had heard the news. Queen Victoria had passed away, and the enormous fuss covered every inch of England. Women and children sobbed softly, while men decorated each town with black and purple banners. People mourned the loss of their beloved Queen for days, even though the next ruler was known to be as good._

"_This town… gives me chills." Vane Riley whispered to himself as he crossed the avenue where his house was located. "Father, I'm home," he said, getting through the big, wooden entrance doors._

"_Ah, Mr. Riley, let me get that for you." A small woman came out of the hallway with a smile on her face._

"_Thank you, Abby." The man handed her his coat, and she placed it in a nearby couch that was beside the doors. "You wouldn't know where my father is, would you?"_

"_He's in his office, waiting for you." She responded._

"_Oh, the surprise…" He smiled, and the old woman laughed along with him. "Well, I better get there, thank you, Abby." He said, and he directed himself towards the stairs. He got up and got to his father's office. He opened the door, not even announcing himself. He had always thought of that to be stupid. They were family; they knew each other well enough._

"_Ah, Vane, good to see you here, my son! Did Abigail get her chores completed? I asked her to bring us some refreshments a few minutes ago"_

"_I'm guessing she's at it right now. Anyways, you needed me, father?"_

"_Oh, yes, you see, I need to talk to you, Vane." His father said. "How are you doing… economically?" _

_Vane looked at his father puzzled, not knowing what he meant._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_We are losing money, son. These are mad times we're living in, and if they keep it up, we won't be able to keep the house. And I seriously doubt that your mother, wherever she is, will be willing to give us a hand."_

_Vane felt a hole on his chest. His mother had disappeared when he was very young, and she took a big part of the family's fortune with her. Vane came from a long line of wealthy, powerful people, but apparently it wasn't enough for his mother. Last time he heard of her, she was heading to France, then all the way to Russia, and so on… His father would think that Vane would eventually want to find her, but he had no desires in doing so._

"_So you're saying that I have to help in gaining some money?"_

"_I need you to get a job, a real one. You have so much potential, son, I could get you a place with my partners, maybe you could have a spot on the parliament soon…"_

"_The Queen is dead, father. Everyone is going crazy. I do not wish to have any power over a town like this." Vane said._

"_Please son…" An unexpected knock on the door interrupted him._

"_Isaac, the men are holding a town hall meeting now, and we need you to be there." A tall man with brown hair and light mustache said._

"_Ah, Joseph. Yes, of course, I'll be there right away." Isaac got up of his desk chair and went to the door, where Vane was still standing. "You coming, son?"_

"_Uh, no, I don't think so. I'll just have a walk around town, those things can get pretty boring." Vane responded, giving his father a pat in the back. He exited the room with silence, making his way downstairs. He instructed Abigail to give herself a break for the rest of the day before he got out._

_Eventually, his 'walk' around town made him realize that it was already dark outside. He walked towards a nearby pub he had spotted titled Coach and Horses. He sat in the bar area, where a barmaid spotted him._

"_Oh, my, and what can I do for such a fine gentleman this evening?" _

"_Nothing, I'm afraid, miss." He sighed and looked around, seeing that there was every kind of people in the room. Men playing cards yelled to their partners, w and others were tripping and bumping into each other in corners, probably very drunk._

"_Then what are you doing in here, kid…" Vane turned to see a man sitting next to him. He was filthy, and his clothes were ragged, and he smelled like he hadn't heard the word 'shower' in his life. A beggar. From what Vane could see, he was obviously upset. He remained silent until he spoke again._

"_Leave then, rich boys like you aren't needed around here, anyways." The old man said._

_Vane couldn't help but let out a laugh. _

"_What are you laughing at? Get the hell out of here, or I swear I'll kick you out, kid!"_

"_Ah, no, no. You see, you have to look at your situation. You're poor, mad, and obviously very, very drunk, and you're probably not the only one in this room that's upset about your Queen's death. I understand, she gave you hope, and you believed every part of it, but as for me… you have no business with me, old man. So please, be my guest to leave when I do. That is, if you manage to get me out."_

_The man snapped, lounging at Vane, grabbing him from his clothes and pushing him to the back door. "Shut up! I'm going to kill you!" He was full of rage now. Vane had pissed him off, so now they were outside of the pub, where the man tried to stab him with a knife he had grabbed. He threw a few swings at him, and in one shot, he did manage to get to him. He had stabbed Vane in the stomach, where he started to bleed._

_Out of nowhere, a pair of hands grabbed the old man by the shoulders and got him off Vane, who was on the floor now._

"_Now, now, calm down." The unknown man told him, looking deeply in his eyes. Vane watched him, but could not hear him. He could see the man that stopped the beggar whispering in his ear things he could not figure out. The beggar walked away from them slowly, with a blank face, leaving Vane confused (and hurt). _

"_What? What did you do?" Vane asked, confused._

"_Don't you worry, he won't be bothering you anymore." The man said. Vane looked at him suspiciously. He was a blonde man, dressed in fancy clothes. _

"_Who are you?"_

"_Please, let me give you this before I answer." He handed Vane a glass filled with a red liquid. "Go ahead, drink it." _

_Vane hesitated. He wouldn't drink whatever that stuff was. The man saw his reluctance, so he took him by the face and looked deeply into his eyes. "You will drink this." _

_In a flash, Vane found himself drinking the glass empty. He now realized that the taste of metal in his mouth was from blood. He coughed, wiping his mouth clean. "What is this?" _

"_Not much, it will help you heal. What is your name?"_

"_Vane… Riley." He answered. "What do you want?"_

"_Well, Vane Riley…" He got close enough so he could whisper in his ear. "I was actually here to kill you."_

_Vane tensed up. He didn't know what to do. They were in a closed space, and he could not run and climb up the tall fences that surrounded the place._

"_But… I already owe him the pleasure." The man smiled, as he slowly started to walk away, entering opening the pub's door again. "You can get on with it now." He told the beggar who was apparently still waiting on the other side. He handed him a knife, and moved towards Vane with zombie-like moves. Like if he was… hypnotized. _

"_Wait… No, wait!" Vane felt multiple stabs on his stomach and chest, and in a few minutes, he saw nothing but darkness._

_Back in the house, Isaac waited for his son's return, until an unknown voice called him._

"_Isaac Riley, I believe? I have an important proposal for you." He entered the room. The first thing Isaac saw was the body of his dead son on the man's shoulder._

"_Vane? Vane! What is this?" He stood up, running towards the unknown man. "What did you do? Who are you?"_

"_Please, call me Klaus. Now, on to the business, shall we? Do not worry about your son, he's not really dead yet. Now, I intend to spare both you and your son, if you agree to join me."_

"_What are you talking about? What did you do to Vane?" Isaac panicked. He didn't understand one bit of what was happening._

"_You want your son to be successful. I can give you that… an eternity for you and him, with everything you want, if you come with me. If you refuse, well, Vane can remain dead forever, along with you, of course."_

_Isaac didn't know what to say. What could he do? Vane was trapped, and he didn't know how to save him. He wanted to save him, but… was he really able to throw his life away, just like that?_

"_What are you going to do to me?"_

"_Does that mean you're in?" Klaus asked. Isaac didn't respond, he just stared at his son's body. "Perfect." In a flash, Klaus fed Isaac his blood by force, and snapped his neck._

_Minutes later, Vane woke up. His head was spinning, and he didn't know where he was. It took a couple of minutes for him to realize that he was on his own house. Horror possessed him as he turned his head to his left._

"_Father?" There he was. Isaac… lying on the floor… with 6 empty bags around him, and red liquid flowing out his mouth. _

"_Ah! You finally woke up, that's nice. Now…" Klaus kneeled beside Vane. "Take this." He handed him a blood bag. Vane looked at it. He suddenly felt… that he wanted it. He really did, so he took it carefully. "If you don't, you will die. For real this time." _

_And so, Vane drank it, and he enjoyed it. He felt his eye-veins pop up, and his mouth ache. He felt fangs growing on his mouth, and his brain going crazy. He coughed, but even so, he didn't want to stop. "This is not right. What did you do to us?" _

_Klaus smiled. "Time to go."_

"_No… help. Help!" Vane tried to call out for someone. "Father, get up, get out of here!"_

"_Vane, time to go." Isaac said. "We're going. It's a deal."_

"_What? No, father…" _

"_You will come. You have nowhere to go, and you will obey me, right son?" Both their voices sounded broken. They knew they had no choice, and Vane couldn't imagine a lifetime (of whatever that was) alone. He only had his father, and he was lost… they both were. "Let's go, Vane."_

"_Very well then. Let's get on the road, shall we?" Klaus led the way out. Vane could barely stand, but he managed to get down the stairs, following his two new "partners" that stood before him. He kept walking, and a pair of bloodstained feet caught his eye._

"_Abby!" Vane cried. He felt his tears forming on the edge of his eyes. _

"_Come, Vane!" Isaac ordered. How was his father able to allow this? _

"_I'm sorry, Abby. I'm so sorry." He whispered to her. "I'm going to stop this, I promise." He kissed the woman's hand one last time, and stood up again. He let his tears fall down. Better now than later… for he could feel what was coming next. A life full of misery, death, and pain. He didn't want that. He had to break free… maybe not then, or maybe not even in a hundred years, but one day, he would. He would be saved, and he could say goodbye to everything… forever._

…_.._

"So that was… basically it." Vane told Lidya, who was still listening, both sitting in the bed.

"So the man at the ball… that was your father, right?"

"Right. Since then we stood beside him. My father went crazy; he ended up thinking Klaus was some sort of god. They both sent me often to deliver someone, or kill certain people who 'messed' with Klaus' plans. I often refused, ending with some kind of physical punishment." He pointed at some of his scars. "The others, well, with Klaus, fresh human blood was the only thing available. Either kill and drink, or die. I refused to kill someone for their blood, so, I though… if I stabbed myself, my brain would focus on the pain, and not in the hunger. Apparently, it has worked."

"Well, you'll need to stop doing that." Lidya said, not really knowing anything else to say. She was really surprised with Vane's past. "I mean it. I will not tolerate your self-stabbing as long as I'm here."

Vane laughed. "Yeah, of course. Besides, some of your animal blood isn't that bad, I can always change to the 'other' side." He smiled.

"I'm really sorry… for what happened to you." Lidya said to him.

"Don't be. I'm here now, and I am okay, am I not?" He said.

"Well… I am really glad to hear we're past your emo phase." Lidya said, getting up from the bed.

"Thank you." Vane said, getting up from the bed as well.

"For what?"

"You listened. I haven't had anyone to talk to in 130 years. Thank you for that."

The girl didn't say anything. Instead, she walked towards him, and hugged him. Vane didn't respond right away. He wasn't expecting such a display of affection anytime soon, but even so, he hugged the girl back.

"Oh, that is so sweet." A voice called from behind. They both broke free from the hug and turned around to face the door. Damon was standing there, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. "You know, I hate to interrupt, but I thought that maybe you would want to know where your evil sister is." He said with a sarcastic tone, looking at Lidya. He made a sign for Lidya to get outside the room with him.

She cleared her throat and turned to Vane. "Well, I'd better get going. I'll come back later, okay?"

"Do not worry about me, I'll be fine." Vane smiled. "I'll be waiting for a blood bag though." He said.

"Just take anything from the storage downstairs. You are actually allowed to leave the room, you know." She laughed.

"See you, Miss Lidya."

The girl walked out of the room, where an anxious Damon was waiting for her. "What are you doing?" He asked, annoyed.

"I'm being nice, something you've not been doing properly."

"What do you think Klaus will say when he finds out you have his little minion living here with us, huh? Because I really doubt he'll be reasonable about it."

"Let's just hope he doesn't find him, then. Anyway, Damon, did you really found out where Katherine is, or did you just say it to get me out of that room?" She asked him, smiling at his reaction that obviously showed a glimpse of jealousy.

"Yes, I did found out, Lidya, you're welcome. Now, let's go." He rolled his eyes at her, grabbing her by her shoulders and leading her to the door.

"Wait, wait, first of all, where _is_ she?"

"A little place outside Mystic Falls, not far though." He opened the door and got out.

"Good morning, Lidya." Stefan's voice appeared behind her from the hallway. "Where are you going so early?" Damon turned to see Stefan talking to Lidya. "And… with Damon? What are you guys up to?"

"Good morning, Stefan" Lidya spoke, but Damon cut her off before she could say anything else.

"No time for talking, Stef. We're paying Katherine a little visit."

"Wait, what?" Stefan asked. "Would you care to explain to me what is going on?"

"Sorry, not really in the mood." Damon shouted as he and Lidya walked away to the car. "I'll keep you posted, though!"

"Wait, Damon-!" Stefan let out a sigh, as he watched Damon's car drive away until it was out of his sight. He couldn't help but wonder what was his brother up to now, for nothing good came out from Katherine, but he also knew that… it was just a matter of time for Katherine to know that her long-lost sister was still alive, looking for her. Yes… definitely nothing good could come out from this.


	7. First Visit

VANE

I woke up this morning realizing I had slept in. The house was silent – no sign of Damon apparently – so I went down, still in my pajamas. I entered the kitchen, wondering if I would find someone. I didn't.

I thought about taking a shower, so I went back up after grabbing some crackers I'd found earlier. I kept saying to myself what a wonderful day it was, even though I hadn't seen daylight yet. Just then, my cell phone rang. I had forgotten I even _had _a cell phone. I didn't recognize the number, but I still picked up.

"Hello?" I said. I waited, but no one answered.

Out of nowhere, someone finally talked. "Vane." The voice said, not in a friendly tone, more like a threat. "He's coming for you. Both of you." There it was.

"What? Who is this?" I asked. "How did you get this number? Wait, don't hang up!" And so it did. "Okay, think." I said to myself. How was I supposed to take this? I wasn't awake enough to take this crap.

I threw the phone to the bed and went downstairs again. I caught Stefan on my way. "Hey, Vane. Is everything all right? " He must have seen the glimpse of uncertainty on my face. I was sure I was wearing it.

"Uh, I think so. Have you seen Lidya around here?"

"She left with Damon a while ago. Why, is something going on?" He asked. Keeping something as big from Stefan would be hard. For now, I summarized as much as I could.

"I don't know. I think we're in trouble."

LIDYA

"We're almost there." Damon's voice interrupted my thoughts. What was I supposed to do once we arrived? Was I going to kill Katherine on the spot? I guessed I was grateful for Damon's presence beside me. His interruptions were able to distract me from this kind of thinking. I could relax.

"Where exactly is _there_?" I asked.

"She's on a little apartment not far from where we are."

"And how did you find out about this?"

He breathed, and then smiled without taking his eyes off the road. "The things I do for you." I smiled, even laughed a little. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing." I said. "You just sound so… decided and sure about this."

"That's because I am. We're going to be fine. What could happen to us?"

"I don't know. Fail? Get us killed? Something of that nature." I responded. He turned to look at me, and then rolled his eyes.

"Well, being a pessimist is not a good way to start."

I shrugged. "You were the one who put me in this car in the first place."

"And I'm considering dumping your butt along with your attitude in the next town."

I laughed, a bit too loud apparently. "I'm glad I could amuse you." He smirked.

"Me, too." I said.

We stood relatively silent for the rest of the trip; only moving to glance looks at each other, smiling like idiots when we did. A few minutes later, Damon parked the car. We were on a closed street that seemed to be on a small neighborhood. He opened the door for me, and let me out. "Madame" he said.

"Don't get all fancy on me right now."

"Just come on." He laughed, pushing me lightly towards the main door. We got inside, and Damon led us trough the corridor, until we reached the stairs. The place wasn't bad, but still, it wasn't as fancy enough for Katherine.

"Why would she live in a place like this?"

"Beats me." Damon said. "Third floor." He said, pointing up with his index finger.

And so we went. As we climbed the stairs, Damon kept quiet, only signaling for me to keep walking with his hand. When we got to the second floor's stairs, I touched his arm.

"Wait." I kept my voice low, for I knew Katherine would be able to hear us. "I don't expect you have a plan, do you?"

"Let's go with the flow, shall we?" He smiled.

"It's just, I…" I sighed. "Be careful."

"You're the angsty sister. I think _I _should watch out for you."

I gave him a look. It had been so long since the last time I saw her that I didn't really know what I was getting into. He touched my shoulders, and then grabbed my hands. "We'll be fine. I'm here, remember."

I nodded. "Let's keep moving."

I walked towards the last set of stairs that would finally lead is to the third floor, and as I walked, I could feel Damon's gaze on me, which didn't help me get any less nervous, but still, I didn't want him to stop, _at all._

We walked through the hall all the way to the end, where Damon pointed out a door, and I followed. We both nodded to ourselves before he opened it slowly.

The room I saw was simple. White walls, small kitchen, and a very evident lack of furniture.

"Well…" I heard a voice. _Her _voice. "I honestly wasn't expecting you today – or anytime soon – Damon." Her voice sounded as it did five hundred years ago; as seductive, careful and harsh as it always had been.

"So, what are you do- " She stopped herself when she appeared before us. She eyed me carefully. "Liddy?" She said surprised, but not in a good way.

"Hello, Katherine." Luckily for me, I knew how to hide my insecurity.

"What is this?" She asked, not taking her eyes off me.

"Not to worry, Katherine. We're just passing by, seeing what you're doing… what you're up to." Damon said. I realized, we hadn't passed trough the door yet.

"I'm not up to anything, Damon. At least not for now." She said.

"So, can we come in?" I asked her, making sure my tone sounded more confident that what I thought I was being.

"Of course we can." Damon answered. "She doesn't own the place. Hmm… Compelled or killed?"

"How about both?" Katherine smiled.

I took the first step inside. I walked towards a chair, removing a black dress that was placed there.

"I see you've acquired a fine taste in fashion."

"I think it would look good on you. Lot's of props from Klaus, for sure." She said to me.

Next thing I knew, I was holding her neck against the wall. "Don't think of this as a game. Like me, you're nowhere near safety." I told her.

She grabbed me by the wrist, trying to turn it. "Unlike you, I know how to have fun on the job." She was strong, but I was stronger.

"And unlike you, I know how to use my head." I pinned her again. Now she looked surprised, just like I wanted. "You may be older, but not stronger, Kathy."

"Have you come here to kill me? Mom and Dad would be so proud, sis." She smiled at me. Not a pleasant smile, more like an annoying smile that made you want to hit the person in the face. I restrained myself from it.

"Don't you dare talk about them. Think about what they would say about you first…all that you've done." I said.

"That doesn't affect me at all." She replied.

"Of course… you don't care." Another accusation. I noticed that Damon had been awfully quiet. I'd wish he would say something. Something to stop my anxiety and wanting to rip my sister's head off right then. But he didn't.

"If you _do _kill me, you know Klaus would go after you and kill you anyway."

"He'd do the same even if I didn't, so why not save the pleasure for myself?" She locked eyes with me.

"I hadn't realized… you've grown so much." She said.

"I've been dead for half a century in your head. I didn't expect you to notice, much less care." I said.

"Have you been running from Klaus all this time?"

"No, I was hiding from the Easter Bunny because I murdered one of its babies." I responded sarcastically. What could I possibly be doing besides looking for ways to save my ass from Klaus? Damon let out a laugh, but neither of us turned to look at him.

"How?" She asked, returning to the Klaus topic.

"You have your methods, I have mine." I turned away from her, staring at the empty walls instead.

"We could share." She suggested. I walked towards the door and placed myself next to Damon. He still had the car keys in his hand, so I took them from him.

"I think I've had enough." I told him. I wanted to clear my head a little. Forget for a moment that I _did _want to come al the way here to just _talk _to my sister. "I'll wait for you in the car, or… something."

He nodded. I stared at his face. He looked concerned, like there was something on his mind that he could not say to me right now, and so, I made my exit.

"It was nice seeing you, Liddy." I heard Katherine's voice.

I had to yell, as I was halfway through the corridor. "Can't say the same, Kat."

DAMON

I stared at the empty hallway on which Lidya had been a while ago. I got lost for a moment to think about the recent events. I thought of Lidya's presence in the room; her fierceness and apparent security. Unfortunately, Katherine was still there. Me being aware of her brought me annoyance, especially when she had to open her mouth.

"Well, she was _not_ always this feisty." She said.

"I think you brought it on yourself." I told her. "I really don't feel like chatting with you, so I'll leave too."

"I don't remember _you _being so feisty either." She pouted. It bugged me. I knew I was handsome and captivating, but couldn't she just let me leave?

"So, what do you think you're doing?" She asked, serious now.

"What do you mean?" I played along. Probably not a good idea.

"Do you really think you have a chance?" She said.

"Chance at what?"

"You're obviously getting attached to her. You're starting to like her," She said, with a tone of anger in her voice. "Do you honestly believe that in time… she might love you?"

Crap. Why did she have to involve _feelings_ into this?

"I don't ask anything from her." I said.

"But you want her anyway." She said. I frowned, wishing she would stop messing with things that were _my_ business.

"And this concerns you… how?" I asked.

"I'm just warning you, Damon. Just so you know that… She'll never love you back."

And that's when I wondered, how a simple statement could take o much power over me. What the hell did she mean by that? But wait… I'd never really taken Katherine's opinion into account. I wasn't going t start now. She was still smiling, a fact I hated.

"This isn't your business, Katherine." I repeated my thoughts, now loudly to her.

"She is my sister, so it is." She replied,

"You haven't seen her in five hundred years, I don't think it is anymore."

"Whatever. You know now, so I'm just saying, don't waste your time."

She sat and watched her nails. I just looked at her, thinking about leaving.

"Okay, I'm out of here." I returned to the door, turning my back on her, finally leaving. But, oh, did she have to open her mouth _again._

"Think about it, Damon. I know a lost cause when I see it."

"Funny. We've been saying the same about you to ourselves for 150 years." I smiled, and then left the room

I went downstairs to meet Lidya back at the car. I followed the curb until I reached the car. I looked through the window. She was not there.

_Damn… _I opened the door, seeing that she had left the keys on the back seat.

_Lidya, Lidya, where the hell did you go?_

I tried to search her around the street, but found nothing. 'I'll wait for you in the car or, something.' _Something. _That _something _managed to get me worried. Final option: Boarding house. I drove as fast as I could, cursing at each little thing that would slow me down, wishing with all my strength that she were there.

When I finally got there, it was almost midnight. It took me a couple of minutes to realize I was infuriated. Once again, I had let Katherine piss me off. I entered the house and began to walk upstairs. Every step I took pissed me off even more. I recognized where I was once I was already in.

I was in my room, speaking loudly, kicking things as well. I heard my own voice once I concentrated on it.

"Damn it! To hell with all this! Stupid Katherine… what does she know?" I kicked a chair beside me, and put my back against the door. I closed my eyes and breathed, until I heard a breath that didn't belong to me.

I searched until I saw what I should have seen ten minutes ago: Lidya's body resting on my bed. I didn't know what to think.

It could have been: _Of course, idiot, now she'll wake up because of you, _or, _She's going to get it in the morning for bailing from me like that. _

Either way, it could all be summed up with _Holy Crap. _I was so glad she was safe, but neither my mind nor my heart became calmed. Words bounced around in my brain, and I could not get the to stop.

_She'll never love you back._

I hoped, for my sake, that it was not true. I _wanted _it to _not _be true. I needed it.

I placed myself next to her. She was beautiful even in her sleep. That got me thinking. All these years, not needing anyone or anything, no one to trust, no one to be with. Then, along came her…

For now, I just stroked her hair, and whispered in her ear, "At least I have you."

And she was all I needed.


	8. Just A Distraction

LIDYA

The next morning wasn't very different from others, other than the fact that Vane was inside the room, door closed, while he surveyed the room, grabbing handfuls of the clothes I'd left on the floor.

"Vane?" I sat up in the bed.

"Morning." He said. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's okay." I looked at him. "May I ask what are you doing?"

"Laundry." He said. "Stefan asked me to take care of this room." He held a pair of my jeans in his hands and gave me a look that asked _Clean or dirty?_

"Dirty. You remind me of a typical suburb mom. Which makes me feel like a stubborn little girl." I said.

He laughed. His smile was so pretty, and his laugh had a melodious tone that made me feel comfortable and happy. "I wouldn't know, I've never really had one."

I didn't say anything. He obviously referred to an issue of his past, which I didn't want to bring up if it made him uncomfortable.

"Here." I said getting out of bed. "Let me help you." I took some clothes off his arms. "So, where are Damon and Stefan?"

"Stefan's downstairs making breakfast." Of course. The closer we could get to _human_ the better. "I haven't seen Damon since earlier. He left a few minutes before you woke up."

"Did he say where he was going?"

"Nope." He said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I said. "I should just talk to him, then."

I reached for my cell and exited the room, hoping he wasn't out there planning on doing something stupid.

"_WHERE R U?" _ I texted him. A minute later, he texted back.

"_AROUND. CALL YOU LATER. _"

Without thinking, I dialed his number.

"Mornin' sunshine." I heard him say over the speaker.

"Damon, where are you? What are you doing?"

"'I'll fill you in later. I'm in the middle of something important." He said. I could imagine the smirk on his face.

"Can you tell me now? Does this concern _both_ of us? I want to know." I said,

"No. Maybe. No can do. Calm down, I'm fine and I'll be home soon. Call you later." He said. I felt he was going to hang up on me.

"I'm sorry." I said quickly, apparently stopping him from ending the call. He didn't say anything. "About yesterday. I bailed from you. I'm sorry, it was stupid."

"Well, you _did_ scare the hell out of me…" He said. "But don't worry. You needed some time. I get that."

"I'm still sorry. Could I at least know where you are?"

"Nope. Besides, you should go. You have stuff to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm, you should ask Stefan about it. Have fun." He said. I thought about yelling something at him to keep him from hanging up.

Too late.

"Did you find him?" Vane asked from behind me.

I sighed. "Yeah, but I don't know where he is. I'm going to talk to Stefan."

I went downstairs and found Stefan cleaning the kitchen.

"Good morning, Stefan." I said. "What's up?"

"Apparently, we just ran out of eggs. I guess breakfast is either delayed or canceled." He said, double-checking the fridge that was opened next to him.

"Too bad. Damon says you're a pretty decent cook." I smiled.

He laughed. "Well, let's hope I can live up to that next time."

"I'll go get a blood bag. Want one?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you would want to go out for lunch later."

I considered it. Going to lunch with Stefan didn't seem like a bad idea. "Sounds like a plan."

"Great. Well, whenever you're ready."

"I won't be long." I said, returning upstairs to get myself ready.

DAMON

I met Ric at the Grill after talking to Lidya. He was at the bar, talking to the bartender. My guess: He was drunk. There was _no way _he would make those eyes while being sober.

"Hey, Ric!" I seated next to him. "Whatcha doing?"

I shot a glance to the bartender. She was cute, but apparently not very amused.

"I… nothing." He said. "Why did you call me, Damon?"

"Are you drunk? You sure look like you are." He just stared at me. "Come on, man! It's not even 2:00 p.m. yet. Jeez." I said.

"I am not drunk, Damon."

"Well, then, you sure do suck at flirting."

"Whatever. Besides, how come you can get drunk at any time of the day and I don't?"

"One of the privileges of being dead, my friend." I said, patting his back. "Anyway, I need your help. You're coming with me to search for Klaus. Or something close to that at least."

"Klaus? As in, _original_ Klaus?" He asked.

"How many other old-as-time, annoyingly old-fashioned, psychotic vampires named Klaus do you know? I need answers, and I could use a vampire hunter." I smirked at him. He looked at me, probably hoping I wasn't serious.

"Answers? For what?" He asked.

"Long story short: Katherine happens to have a sister. Alive. Meaning Klaus isn't only after her. He wants Lidya too." A shiver ran down my spine at the thought.

"And I'm guessing you care about her?"

"Well… yeah." I turned my body towards him and stood face to face. "I need information. I can't just let him take her, Ric."

"Okay, then. I'll help you. What do you need?" He asked.

"Better bring your little toys. We should be just fine with them."

Moments later after leaving the Grill, we got into my car and drove away.

"Where are we going?" Ric asked, loading a rifle with wooden bullets and vervain darts. "You do know that these won't work against an original, right?"

"I think they'll buy us some time in case he tries to kill us. That is, if we _do_ find him." I told him. What if we _did _find Klaus? I had no plan (at least not a 100% effective one.)

"So this girl…" Ric said.

"Lidya." Her name escaped from me so quickly, I didn't have time to react to it.

"Do you like her?"

I tightened my lips together. I guessed that was enough answer for him.

"How do you know her?"

"I kind of saved her. I found her on the streets, and took her to the house."

"So she's living with you?" He sounded surprised.

"There's also another vampire. Vane Riley. He was Klaus' lap dog. Unwillingly, of course. Lidya cares about him… I don't really trust him. He's the one who got the call saying Klaus was coming for her. Hence, the road trip." I explained.

Ric kept looking at me, then the road, and then me again. "Then she's living with you, along with some other guy, you don't like." He said. I shrugged and nodded. "Have you kissed her yet?"

I looked at him. "No." _But I want to. _I thought about it. I _really _wanted to. "Of course not, Ric!"

"Well, what did you want me to expect?" He smiled.

"I'm giving her space…" I lied. _Space?_ _Yeah, right. _

"Well, if you like her, you better do it soon."

"You _are_ drunk."

"And I'm sensing you'll be too, soon enough." He said. "Drinks on me."

"Just shut up and let me drive."

LIDYA

Stefan and I walked towards the Grill to finally get some lunch. I was starving. To my surprise, Stefan ended up being very fun to be with. We got in, sat at the table, and ordered the first thing w saw in the menu.

"Thanks for this, Stefan." I said, after having several long conversations while eating. "It feels very good to get my mind off things."

"Anytime." He smiled. "But thank _you._ I haven't had this much fin in ages. Reminds me of better times." He said.

"Better times?"

"You know, when we could have harmless fun without having to worry about our lives every day." He said. "You remind me of that. That's why being with you makes me happy." He smiled and I smiled back.

I took a sip of the little amount of coke I had left. "Tell me something." I said. "Did Damon tell you to take me out?"

He leaned back on his chair, running a hand trough his hair, his expression serious. "He just doesn't want you to get involved in dangerous situations." He said. "He cares about you."

I sighed. "I know. But I can't just stand there while he's doing all the job out there."

"I'm sure he will explain everything." He said. "But just so you know… this wasn't just distraction from my part. I enjoyed being with you."

"Yeah… I did too." I smiled.

Stefan brought his phone out. "Huh, this late already?" He said, checking the time.

"I think we should go back to the house, see how things are going."

"Let's go then." He nodded.

After paying, we headed for the door. The first thing I saw were three girls walking toward us. A tall blonde, a dark skinned brunette, and a girl who looked… _exactly _like Katherine.

"Hey, Stefan!" The blonde ran towards us, smiling. She stopped when she saw me. "Hi! I'm Caroline. Caroline Forbes." She held her hand out for me.

It took a moment for me to shake it. My gaze was still on the third girl, who was still walking with the other girl beside her.

"Hi, I'm Lidya." I shook her hand and smiled.

"Who's your friend, Stefan?" The other girls called.

"I'm Bonnie." When I shook her hand, I knew. I _sensed _she was a witch. And not just any witch.

"A Bennett." I said.

"How did you know?" She seemed surprised.

"You have a _long_ line of ancestors. It's hard for someone like me to miss a Bennett witch."

"Did you know some of them?" She asked.

"Emily, many years ago. I've heard of many others, tough. Anyway, it's great to meet you." I smiled, trying to sound less like a _stalker _than I already felt.

"Hi, Stefan." The last girl said. She smiled and he smiled back.

"Hello, Elena." He said.

"I'm Elena Gilbert. Nice to meet you." She said to me. _Gilbert._ I had heard about the doppelganger being around, but I never thought I would find her here. "Is something on your mind?" She asked.

"No, nothing. I'm sorry, it's just that you look just like her." I said.

"Katherine, I know. I get that a lot." She said seriously, but not angry. "But I am _nothing_ like her, believe me."

"I'm pretty sure you're nowhere as crazy as my sister, so don't worry about me judging."

"Sister?" The three girls said at once.

I explained everything. Well, not _everything, _but how I was not the crazy bitch Katherine was, and how I meant no harm to this town.

"Well, if that's the case, we're so on your side." Caroline said, giving me a thumbs up. Bonnie and Elena nodded. "Anyway, in other breaking news, we're going o a party, and Elena actually agreed to come. Let's all go!" She clapped her hands and smiled.

Stefan looked at me. I really thought I should go back with Vane and wait for Damon to appear. "I think I'll pass. Some other time for sure."

"All right. Well, we'll have a slumber party at my place next weekend if you wanna crash." Caroline said.

"Thank you. I'll see you around." I smiled and walked away with Stefan.

When we reached the house, Stefan left to go check on Elena. I went upstairs to change and leave my purse.

"So... how was your day?"

Damon was on the bed lying on his back. He was smiling, waiting for an answer.

"How was _your_ day?" I asked him back.

"I'd say… pretty productive." He stared at me. "Why the long face? Your smile is a hundred times more beautiful."

"You didn't call or fill me in. I was worried." I said.

"Didn't you enjoy your evening with Stefan?" He sat up. I ignored the question. "Okay, listen. I drove around town looking for Klaus." He said. He went to look for _Klaus._ I opened my mouth to protest, but he continued before I could. "I didn't find him. I spent the day interrogating vampires that were around. Apparently Klaus is not in town, but he will be. Soon. Vane told me he received a call yesterday saying that he would come for both of you. I had to get some info."

As he said that, he got out of the bed and placed himself in front of me. "And see? I'm fine." I didn't speak. "You can talk now." He gave me a look, saying _Come on, you can be pissed at me, no worries._

I sighed. "Damon, you can't just go looking for Klaus. Unless you're planning on getting killed. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You wouldn't have let me go." He said. "Besides…" He got close to me. Clos_er__. _I breathed, my insides twisting by the feeling of his face next to mine, his smell, his eyes. "I would never put you in danger. In case something had happened."

I got lost in him. I realized I had really missed him. He was gone for the whole day, and although I had a great time with Stefan, he didn't really leave my thoughts.

"Do you want to hear something lame?" He lowered his voice, without taking his eyes off mine. "I thought about you while I was out. Of how I haven't had the guts…" He ran his fingers trough my hair, softly; his lips forming a light smile on his face. "… to kiss you." He leaned in close.

"Damon… don't." I said, almost whispering. "We can't…"

"Tell me you don't want it, and I'll leave." He said.

The problem was, _I wanted it. _Even if it felt wrong, I couldn't feel more right. The worst kind of uncertainty. I didn't say anything. I opened my mouth, waiting for something to come out, but Damon caught my face in his hands.

"Too late." He whispered, and crushed his mouth into mine.

I didn't resist. I let my lips move with his, and let his hands touch my face and grab my hair. I felt I was burning. The feeling of finally kissing him sent butterflies to my stomach. My mouth followed his movements, his grabbing my lower lip in between.

I reached for his neck, touching him lightly. This was wrong in many ways. For starters, I couldn't drag anyone else into my own little vortex of danger with Klaus by having feelings for him. But something told me Damon was already in it with me.

I was so lost in the kiss that I almost didn't notice Damon's cell phone ringing. We broke apart slowly, recovering our breaths. I stared at him, not knowing what to say.

He cursed lightly as he got his cell phone out of his jacket, and I couldn't do anything but blush. We had been interrupted after all.

"What?" Damon answered the phone, sounding desperate and annoyed.

"Ah, Damon Salvatore." I heard the voice trough the speaker. I recognized the voice. Same accent, same threatening, scary tone. Klaus.

"That's me." Damon said. I gave him a look.

_It's him _I mouthed.

"What do you want, Klaus?"

"I know you've been looking around for me. Let me save you some time. I need you to give my precious Lidya back. I know you've been hiding her." I flinched at my name.

"And how do you know this?" Damon asked.

Klaus laughed. "Oh, young vampires. So _impulsive_. When will you learn? If I want something, I'll always know _everything._" He paused. Damon's face was serious, paying close attention to what was being said. "You're going to give her to me. If you resist, I will be forced to take new measures."

"I don't know what you're talking about. And even if I did, like hell I'd help you." Damon said.

Klaus laughed again. "You can't lie to me. I know she's standing right next to you. So let me give you a little demonstration…" He said. "Tell Lidya I'll see her soon, and send Vane my regards." He hung up.

Before I could say anything, the lights went out. Everything was silent, until a loud _crash_ came from the window. The glass was scattered all around the room. Someone was breaking in. A huge _whoosh _of wind surrounded us. I felt Damon grab me by the arm and drag me down with him. He sat on the floor with his back facing the edge of the bed. He placed my body over his own and covered my mouth with his hand. I could feel his chest move as he breathed in my back.

Inside the room, a voice called.

"Lidya! Vane! Won't you come out and play?" A man said, opening and closing doors looking for us. "We don't have all night! Klaus _really _misses you guys!" _We. _So there were more.

A shot of panic ran trough my body. I squeezed Damon's hand, and with the other, I grabbed on to his shirt with my fist. He remained perfectly silent, squeezing my hand back, instructing me not to make a sound.

"I know you can hear me!" The voice shouted. I closed my eyes, hoping that neither Stefan nor Vane was in the house. Even though we were stronger, we were outnumbered. We couldn't fight our way to safety.

The wind was strong and the night was cold. The feeling of the wind made my body shiver. Damon put his free arm around me, stroking my mine.

"It's a shame things have to get ugly. But as I said, we don't have all night, and Klaus won't really mind about doing something about those girls from earlier. And let's not forget about your boyfriend. He'll plan something special, for sure." I heard him walk away. "We'll leave now! Hope you can come and join us very soon!"

And like that, he was gone.

The room was silent once again, our breathing being the only thing I could hear. I did this. I had dragged Damon into this, and now I had brought Caroline, Bonnie and Elena with me too.

I felt the tears that had formed in my eyes fall down my face. "This is my fault." I whispered. I let go of Damon's hand to wipe my tears, but no matter how hard I tried, they kept falling down. "He knows. They're coming for us…"

"Hey…" Damon said, touching my face, helping me take the tears away. "No one's going to take you. Not while I'm here. I promise."

"They're coming for us…" I repeated. I sobbed louder now. I grabbed Damon's shirt once again, and giving in, I buried my face in his chest.

"_Shh…_" He said. He wrapped his arms around me. I was so scared. Scared about what was coming. But for now I knew… Damon had me, and he wouldn't let go. I hold on to him, and he did the same, until I fell asleep in his arms.

All I wanted was for us to be safe. We had to be…


	9. Let Me In

**Oh man... A full Damon-Only chapter ._. What can I say, I just love writing about him 8D Tell me what you think about it! Anyway, thank you so much guys, hope you like it!**

* * *

DAMON

10:46 a.m. on a Saturday and I was already filled with the corniest feelings on the face of this Earth. All because of a certain little someone. Someone I simply _had _to kiss last night or else I would've exploded, and I think it's fair to point out, that it was downright _awesome._

So that morning I woke up, thinking of going up to my room and just hold that girl until I just couldn't any more. As pathetic as it sounds, I spent most of last night re-playing each moment in my head for as long as I could, stopping once in a while for a distraction for the sake of my own sanity. It made me want to live it all again. Hell, I wanted a _lot more _than just a kiss. Sure, I would probably end up with a slapped face for trying… definitely worth it.

_Well, _at least I had to see her, so I headed towards my room and entered, only to find the bed made and the windows opened, but no Lidya. I heard running water in the bathroom, and once I entered… oh, holy crap, she was _showering._ Apparently she hadn't noticed me, seeing that I hadn't been kicked out yet. So I just stood there, watching her.

_Thank God for glass doors._ What a productive weekend you've had, Damon Salvatore. First you kiss her and now you're seeing her wet. I couldn't help but study every inch of her beautiful figure. The steam covered her body perfectly well, but I could still see the outline of her perfect breasts. If this was supposed to turn me on, it was working. She let out a laugh as her own hair tickled her. She was so damn cute, and she didn't even know it.

"Is it hot in here?" I finally said, trying to put the creepiness aside and announce myself. She turned around, and as I smirked, she jumped in surprise, nearly slipping.

"D-Damon? What the hell! Get out!" She yelled and covered her body with her hands.

"Your face is all red. Should I go in there and check your temperature?"

"What? NO. Leave!" She blushed.

I laughed, prepared to say something else, but stopped when she threw a small bar of soap at me. "Okay! I'll go." I lifted my arms up in surrender. "Just be careful not to…-"

"Just go!" She yelled again,

And so I left. Once outside, I sighed. This morning kept getting better and better.

* * *

I waited for about fifteen minutes until Lidya finally came down to the kitchen. She was wearing a dark blue blouse and _incredibly short _shorts. Seriously, was this girl trying to kill me?

"You know, you should really lock the doors. Someone might want to take advantage if you're not careful." I said sarcastically, trying to keep my eyes off her killer legs. She moved to sit over the counter and stared.

"And you should stop really stop spying on people." She replied, crossing her arms.

I shrugged and smiled. "I regret nothing." I moved towards her until I was facing her. "Naked… I loved it."

"Shut up." She smacked my arm once I was at touching distance. I put my arms on each side, leaning over the counter on which she was still seating. I had her trapped. My body was the only thing that stood between her and the floor. Right where I wanted her.

"You look beautiful." I said.

"Are you kidding? I'm wearing shorts and a shirt." Women. Always worrying about such dumb details. She smiled a nervous smile. It made me happy to know that it was _me _who made her nervous. I slowly struck her arm with my finger, feeling goose bumps form on her skin.

"No, wait." She said. I didn't stop. "We shouldn't be doing this."

"Why not? We're simply continuing what we didn't get to finish last night." I replied. I moved my face to her neck as I spoke, and then I went on and kissed it softly. She let out the softest moan as my lips touched her skin over and over again.

"Last night…" She whispered.

"Don't tell me you didn't spend night and day thinking about that kiss." _Because I sure as hell did._

"I did." She confessed. I watched her as she eyed my lips, and that's when I knew she wanted it too. She wanted me to kiss her so badly.

"See?" I said. "What are we waiting for then?"

She closed her eyes and grabbed on to my shirt, pulling _me_ even closer to_ her. Finally,_ I got to put my lips on hers once again. She tasted just like she did last night. I wouldn't be able to explain how passionate this was, how sexy she looked, how stupid I felt for succumbing to my desires so easily. But she made it so fucking hard not to do so.

My moral thinking stopped as I felt her arms wrap around my neck. I ran my hands over her bare thighs, pulling them towards me, our waists touching each other. I had her right where I wanted her to be. I could take her upstairs if I wanted to (oh, and how I wanted to). Instead I cursed as we heard a knock on the door. Lidya recovered her breath and gave me an embarrassed look instead of commenting on the last three incredible minutes of making out. She ran to the door. As I stood alone in the kitchen, I sighed and slapped my forehead lightly. She said absolutely _nothing, _and I loved her too much to care.

"_Idiot, why didn't I say something?" _I muttered to myself. Lidya came back holding a folded piece of paper.

"Look at this." She handed it to me. I read the note written in annoyingly fancy handwriting.

_Meet me at the lake in the Lockwood property tonight. – K_

I was going to kill that bastard. How he _loved _to interrupt.

"We have to go." Lidya said.

"No, we don't." I replied.

"Yes, we do. Do you think that if we don't he'll just let is pass like nothing happened?" I couldn't believe it. She was totally ignoring the fact that we had almost kissed our brains out two minutes ago.

"Well, we could just ignore the consequences like I always do."

"So, at what time do we leave?" Vane said behind us. _Great…_

"Who said you'd be coming?" I said. "_Assuming_ that we did."

"I got a note as well." He lifted it in the air. "I'm on this too, you know." He was starting to annoy me. "And _I_ say we go."

"I'm with him." Lidya responded. I sighed. What was the deal with everyone and danger, anyway?

"Fine. But if things get out of hand, I'm getting you out of there." I said to Lidya.

She sighed. "Sure." She was still blushing. I loved that.

* * *

Night came very quickly. Once they were ready, I drove the three of us to the Lockwood property. Outside, loud music played in the background. Of course… it was the middle of the summer, which meant a sea of hormones dancing around, drinking, and getting themselves wet. Perfect, a public spot.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked Lidya.

"I think I can handle myself." She said without looking at me.

"I beg to differ. It's just, you have this way with danger…"

"Good thing I have _you_ to save me, then." She smiled at me. Her face was gorgeous under the moonlight. I touched her hand and nodded. Vane was right behind us, surprisingly keeping his mouth shut, which made me grateful. It gave me time to think.

"Ah, perfect! You made it." Klaus emerged from a group of people talking and drinking. I shuddered at the sight. He just wouldn't give us a break. He gasped when he turned to see Lidya. "Lidya, love. You haven't changed at all."

She snorted. "That's sweet, Klaus. I only wish I could say the same. How's that whole curse-breaking deal working out for you?" She snapped angrily.

Klaus frowned. He was getting pissed. "Well, it could've been a lot easier if my foolish brother had kept his word and keep an eye on you. But no matter, what's done is done."

"What do you want?" I finally asked. He was wasting my time. Let's just get to the point.

"You see, I am a man of my word. Years ago I gave Lidya my word that I would eventually find her and her sister to end the Petrova line like I should've done 500 years ago." He said. "I'm here to keep that word."

"Screw you and your word. What you should do is get over the fact that your plan didn't work out for you." I said.

"Oh, I intend to get over it once I kill all of you." He said. "As for you, Vane, you and your father have a lot to talk about once we get back."

"My father means nothing to me. I'm pretty sure he feels the same way." Vane said. He managed a sarcastic smile as he said that.

"Nevertheless, you have a debt to pay, my friend. You won't run from your past that easily. I'll make sure you pay for your betrayal."

"We're not going anywhere with you. The curse is broken, leave us out of this." Lidya spoke.

"I could definitely do that. But you see, my hybrid friends wouldn't be too happy to know I denied them new company." Klaus said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It's simple. Two of my hybrids are surrounding this place." He spoke up so we could hear him over the music. "Either you come with me, or you die here along with all these people." Ah yes, there's always a catch. There had to be at least 20 or 30 people here. Not exactly an easy thing to cover up later.

"Make up your mind. Tic tock…" He disappeared into the darkness.

"What should we do?" Vane asked. The dick was playing with us. I've had it.

"We need to get out of here." I said.

"What? Damon, he'll kill everyone here." Lidya said.

"If we're lucky, some of them will be smart enough and run faster." I said. Se looked afraid. Okay, idea number two. "Unless, of course, we take out the hybrids."

"But there's still Klaus." Vane pointed out.

"Hybrids first. Then we run." I ordered. I started walking, bumping into each person that passed by me. I suddenly noticed the yellow eyes and fangs on a figure. It was moving towards us. It stopped, however, when I instinctively ripped out his heart.

"One down."

"Look out!" Lidya yelled. Vane turned around, revealing yet another hybrid. I snapped his neck while Vane did the heart ripping.

"Nice work." He smiled.

"Right." I said back. "Now's the time. Let's go." We got back to the car. It wouldn't be long until…- Ah, there it was. My phone rang.

"What have you done?" Klaus asked, his voice harsh and angry.

"Stopping by for some tea. Seriously, what do you think?"

"I'm warning you, Damon. I always get what I want. If you interfere once more, you're dead." He threatened.

"Better start preparing the best of your hybrids, then." I hung up.

* * *

We finally got back to the house. I was pretty pissed by then. Where the hell was my baby bro? I could usually let my anger out on him. Tonight there was no one.

"Well, that went well…" Vane said as he disappeared into the hallway. Ah yes, _he_ was here. _Idiot. _

I rolled my eyes. _"Your _idea." He walked away. I did not like him.

I poured myself a glass of bourbon and cursed. What were we thinking? Klaus was never going to leave them alone. At least, not while he was alive. I sighed. The day didn't turn out so good. Lidya still hadn't said anything about this morning. How could she be so quiet about it? How could she see me dying for her and not say anything to show me she was dying too?

I remembered Katherine's words. "She'll never love you back?" I muttered to myself. That couldn't be true. Every time I saw her I could sense she felt at least _something _ at least, I hoped she did.

"Get out of my head, then…" I murmured. As if it were that easy.

So I went upstairs. That girl needed some sense kicked into her. I might have needed it even more than she did. I went into my room and found her sitting on the edge of the bed, her face on her hands.

"Hi." She said.

"Hi." She just stared at me. Screw this; I couldn't hold it in anymore. "How do you do that?" She looked at me with a puzzled expression. "How can you stand thinking about everything we've done and not say a word about it? Because I just can't."

"Damon…" She whispered.

"No. No, listen. I've spent the last few days going crazy because of you. _You._ I don't know if you've noticed, but I can't seem to control myself when I'm _near_ you. And yet, you haven't said anything to me. Am I doing something wrong? If so, _please_ tell me Lidya, I can't stand it." I said. I was loosing it, and she could see it. My voice became harsh and desperate.

_Shut up, shut up, shut up… Do not push this._ To hell with it.

"Damon, people we're almost killed back there! Don't do this right now, please." She walked towards the door. I stopped her, grabbing her arm.

"No, we're doing this _right now,_ Lidya." I pulled her in on me. "I don't care about any of that. I care about what's going on between us."

"Don't. Damon…-"

"God, why won't you just let me say it?" I yelled. "I love you! I. love. you. Lidya. And it makes me even crazier to _feel_ that and not be able to have you for myself."

She gasped softly. "And you have _no idea_ of how hard this is for me. How hard it is for me to acknowledge that I actually _feel_… " My voice trembled. I couldn't seem to find a way to end this. I didn't even know if I could.

Her eyes were watery, and I just hoped for God's sake that she didn't burst into tears right now.

"Now, I'm saying all this because I mean it. I'll give you time. If you refuse, I'll accept it and I'll back off like you want." I stared at her. She didn't speak. I put my hands on her shoulders and stared deeply into her dark orbs. "If you don't… I swear I _will_ kiss you again just because I can't take it anymore."

She just couldn't even imagine how much I craved for her, could she? Her eyes finally let the tears out.

"All right…" She whispered. "Yes."

And so I kissed her once more. I kissed her so hard that both she and I moaned softly. True, my heart couldn't beat, but oh, how it hurt. I tasted her salty tears as they ran down her face and right onto our lips. She grabbed on to my hair as I started to remove her blouse. She then removed mine, and I lifted her up, placing her on the bed. She unbuttoned my jeans as I kissed every inch of visible skin she had. Her heavy breathing made the hairs of my neck rise. She shuddered at my touch on her lower back. She tried to pull me closer to her, for which she didn't need any of her supernatural strength. I gave in completely.

"Your bra's stuck." I said as I anxiously tried to remove it as well. She took it off and tossed it aside, exposing her naked upper body to me. I continued kissing her. Soon enough, she had removed every last piece of clothing on me, too. I was ready to go for it. It made me think it was maybe too fast, but hey, you don't get undressed for nothing, right?

She opened her eyes and locked them with mine. She kissed me softly again and sighed happily. Then I went for it. At last, I entered her with all the care I could manage, making her moan in pleasure. Her voice made me melt; her moans were so soft and cute, I couldn't help but smile now and then. Her hips moved in sync with mine. I could feel her hands exploring my whole body, while mine traced the edge of her breasts. She was perfect in every way possible.

This was it, what I was waiting for. I finally had her, and she had me completely. I wasn't going to back down. Not now, not ever. I only asked to whoever was up there, that she would someday understand how much I wanted her, and that hopefully then, she'd want me just as much.

_But who are you kidding, Salvatore. You were never one to pray…_

* * *

**A/N: Fluffyness everywhere! x3 Gosh, I don't even...- What do you think? Was it too fast? I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE D: Opinions are most welcome! Thank you so much :)**

**Emmie***


	10. So Much For Secrets

_**A/N: **AND SO I RETURN. To everyone who still reads this piece of whatever it is, I apologize for taking a long-ass break and for coming back with this right here, and I thank you for still sticking around. So here's the new chapter. Played a bit with the POV's again just because I can. I love writing Damon, sue me. Alright everybody, enjoy ~ _

* * *

LIDYA

My head was killing me. Darkness made it impossible for me to see where I was going. I ran. A newly created vampire running wildly trough the forest, trying to save her pathetic existence as this fascinating being. She should be so lucky. The fangs hurt. They kept coming out, like knives, hurting my lips at the faint scent of blood emanating from any animal that crossed my way. But it wasn't the time for a hunt. Right now, keeping my chest free of stakes was the main priority. I could hear angry voices calling out for me, trying to return me to the men who destroyed us. I knew what would happen. My body would end up staked to a wall for everyone to see. Just like them; they got the worst, and all because of me. Because I wouldn't sell my sister out. I kept running. Images of their lifeless bodies scattered in pools of blood haunted me. They were lost; my sister was lost. She had decided to stay despite all my efforts to keep her away from his hands. In the end, she was just another one of them, ended up being a murderer, condemning people to an eternity of hiding and running. Centuries of these selfish acts for people to take and no one to blame. Just a memory. And now I was damned too. She sentenced us to a life of fear.

My name was called louder. They were getting closer. I could feel them over me, smothering me, closing every possible way of escape. Faster, faster. She wouldn't die, she was too proud for that. She would keep on living with everything she had unleashed chasing her tail. Typical Katerina. I didn't mind dying. I was more concerned for our pride, if we had any left. But I should've died months ago, why keep it up any longer? I could stop running. If I'm lucky, they'll kill me right on the spot, no reunions necessary. That sounded rather tempting in what seemed to be clear thoughts. That's why, when they come, I'll let the stake in on my chest. That's why I will close my eyes and never go back.

Good thing Damon was there to wake me up.

"Hey. Shhh… Lidya." I felt his touch as he ran a hand through my hair. "It's okay."

"What?" I managed to mumble.

"You're sweating, and not in the good way."

My breathing was heavy. My throat felt as if I had been screaming for hours, and my glassy eyes made it hard for me to see. "I'm sorry. It… it wasn't you, I-"

"You had a bad dream. No big deal." He said. "Besides, I couldn't possible be _that_ good." He smirked.

Good, I could still laugh. "I can't believe we did it." I said as I turned to face him.

"Yeah, you took some time." He responded.

"Hey, this is nothing. Do you know when the last time I slept with someone was? New York, 2006"

"Fair enough. That sure explains _lots_ of things."

"_Anyway_," I said. "What do we do about this?"

"About what?" I felt the force of his gaze on me. He looked confused, trying to figure me out.

"Well, _this_. We're keeping it secret, aren't we?"

Before he could answer, the door opened. "Hey Lidya, do you want to- WHOA! " Caroline stormed in. She stared at us, perplexed with what was in front of her. "Oh my god. You guys!" She squealed.

"Caroline!" I sat up on the bed, covering both of us with Damon's sheets.

"Blondie. Get out." He said.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. _OHMYGOD_!"

"Now!" I said.

"Okay!" She exited the room and closed the door. "I was just going to invite you to the Grill tonight, but I'll tell you about it later!" She said from the other side.

"So much for secrets." Damon laughed.

"Damn it, Caroline…" I said under my breath.

"Come on, it's not like they'd never find out." He smiled at me, wrapping his arms around my bare waist. When I didn't speak, he sighed. "You're nervous. Why are you nervous, Lidya?"

"I just don't want the wrong people knowing this. Information is power, Damon!"

"You're paranoid."

"I'm not – " I scoffed softly. "You know what, I'm just gonna talk to Caroline."

"Good luck." He winked at me before getting out of the bed. The sheets dropped beside him as he walked towards the bathroom.

"Put something on!" I laughed as I tossed him a piece of clothing.

"As if you wanted me to."

I grabbed one of his shirts and put it on, along with my shorts, and fixed my hair a little before going out the door. I found Caroline in the living room sitting on the couch.

"Hey! Are you two done?" She raised her eyebrows and grinned.

"I'm sorry. You weren't really supposed to see that."

"Are you kidding me? You're spilling the details. That's why tonight's perfect! I was going to invite you guys to the Grill, it's karaoke night again." She said.

"Sound fun." I replied.

"Great. Then I'll see you both tonight." She made her bubbly way to the front door.

"Hey, do you happen to know where Bonnie is?" I asked her before she could leave.

"I think she was by the school a while ago. Anyway, don't be late!"

She smiled and gracefully bounced her way out he door. By the time I was ready to go out for the afternoon, I had already eaten (really good blood bags I found in the storage), shared an early coffee with Vane, and taken a shower, in which Damon happily jumped in.

"Where are you going?" He asked me once I got to the door.

"Um… I'm going to see Bonnie before tonight. You know, help her with some… magical ancestor issues."

He stared at me. He formed a suspicious smile and closed in on me. "What are you up to, Lidya?"

"What makes you think I'm up to something?"

"Well, you've got your I'm-definitely-not-up-to-something look on you. Is there something I should know about?" He asked. "'Cause I'll be pissed if you leave me out."

"I am just meeting Bonnie, don't sorry about it. I'll see you at the Grill, okay?"

He sighed. His hands went up my neck and reached for my face in a second. He kissed me before saying, "Can't wait."

And so I made my way to Mystic Falls High school. Bonnie better not be hard to find. I walked around the school grounds, trying to spot her among the crowd, until I finally saw her sitting on a bench, big bad Grimoire on her lap.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Lidya, hey! Check this out. I found some pretty cool spells I'd like to try out. Not here, though, maybe some other time." She laughed a little. "Are you okay?"

I looked back at her. "Yeah, yeah, I just… I need a favor."

"You mean…" She pointed at the grimoire.

"Exactly. I need you to help me track someone." I said.

"Okay, Who are we tracking?"

I lowered my voice. "Klaus."

"What? Why would you want to find Klaus?"

"Better find me before he finds me."

"Are you _crazy_?"

"_Bonnie_. Trust me on this. I just need your help." I pleaded. She hated the idea, I could tell. "Please."

"I usually don't help with suicide missions." She scoffed. "Fine. Let's go to the labs, we'll do the spell there."

"I reached for her arm before she could get up. "Thank you."

She smiled warmly. "Come on, you don't wanna be late tonight."

DAMON

After the annoyingly persistent calls from Stefan and 5 texts from Caroline, I made my way to the Grill. Lidya hadn't called, so I guessed she was still with Judgey. I sat on the bar and distracted myself with my phone for a while. The singing in the background was getting more and more screwed up. I called Ric. If Stefan bailed, he would be my only drinking buddy left. Not that Stefan was really that fun, anyway. He arrived after three calls of telling him to hurry his ass up.

"Okay, I'm here. Geez, one would think you'd be in a better mood today." He joked as he sat beside me.

For a lack of something more creative, "Shut up" was not that bad.

"Is there something you wanna talk about?"

"I'm pretty sure you already know everything about me sleeping with Lidya."

"Caroline spilled."

"Figures."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What, so we could sleep over and talk about boys while you braid my hair?" He laughed silently. He waited for me to say something that actually made up for my recklessness. "I said _I love you_, Ric. I don't do that."

"So, you're saying you're taking this seriously?"

"I… intend to."

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I brought it up and looked at the ID. "Hold on." A text. "It's Bonnie"

_We've got trouble._

I sighed. "You gotta be kidding me. I'll be right back." I walked towards the back of the Grill and went out through an emergency door. Just when I was taking a break from trouble…

Bonnie paced silently before me. "What do you want now, Judgey?"

"It's Lidya."

"Alright. Care to explain?" Horrible night to mess with my mind.

"It's… She wants to find Klaus"

"Wait. She _what_?"

"She told me to track him." She said.

"And _did_ you?"

"I thought you knew about it. Then she said not to tell you."

"Did she now?" Stupid. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_, what the hell was she thinking? Sure, Lidya, let's all go around looking for ways to get killed. "Where is she now?"

"I don't know. She said she'd meet me here."

"She better do."

"Are you going to confront her?" She asked.

"Is there any other way?" I responded, rather annoyed at what was obvious.

I waited almost two hours until she decided to show up. Two goddamned hours.

Fact #1: She was late. Probably because of here secret rendezvous with Klaus.

Fact #2: Ric left me in the bar for some school crap.

Fact #3: I lost count of my drinks.

Which unfortunately for her meant more anger and a significant drop in my tolerance level. I caught up with her when she approached the bar. She said something I didn't catch. Someone was singing a messed up version of a Coldplay song. My mind was foggy, threatening to shut down at any minute. I wanted to go home. Take her home and stay there. Stefan was home, why couldn't I be too? Why couldn't she just listen?

She shook my arm, making me give some sort of reaction. I had a speech, damn it. Free lectures by yours truly. No, Lidya, it's too dangerous to play bait. You'll end up dead, sweetie. Klaus is a bad, bad man, so don't go taking any candy from him.

Are you okay? What's wrong? Voices, voices. Dear friend bourbon's really screwing with me tonight.

"Okay, Damon, you're freaking me out." She said.

"What the hell are you thinking?" I asked once I managed to actually articulate words.

"Meaning?"

"A deal with Klaus? Seriously?"

"Wait, now you're mad at me?" She asked, deciding between a smirk and a smile.

"No, I'm just having a hard time adjusting to the stupidity of your plan."

She sighed. "Witches. You just can't tell them anything. Look, I wasn't planning on lying to you."

"Then what? You'd wait until I found your dead body hanging around?" I shuddered at the thought.

"I was actually hoping you'd _help_ me."

"Don't screw with me, Lidya."

"What, would you settle for running?" I'd settle for keeping us alive. Us. No one else.

"Look, Damon, you can't protect me forever. And I can't protect you. It would be so much easier if we did this together." She pleaded.

"Not gonna happen."

"Damon. I'm asking for your help. Wouldn't you at least do it for me?"

"We're in this together, Lidya. But I'm not going to help you die." I stood up and walked away from the bar. She didn't chase after me, and I didn't want her to. Surprise, surprise. I got into the car and headed back home. Maybe Stefan could lighten me up.

I got inside and took my jacket off. Ah, home… The lights were dim and inviting, not a sound could be heard. "Hey, Stef?" I yelled at the emptiness that surrounded me. "I'm having girl problems! Wanna come and brood with me? It'll be fuuun." No response. "Just come down here and – "

And then I felt bad. Not drunk bad, but _really_ bad. My muscles ached, making me surprisingly numb. "What the hell…"

It took me a while to come to my senses and put the tiny pieces together. No one at home, the insufferable mystery, that old-fashioned, tacky cologne. I figured it was about time for a visit.

"Evening, Damon."

Ah, my favourite Original, back from the dead.

My body did not respond. I tried in vain to stay awake, fighting the blurriness that threatened to blind me. I managed a laugh.

"Elijah, you fancy bastard."

"I must say, you cooperated rather nicely." He said.

"Don't suppose you came in for a drink."

"On the contrary. We have things to discuss."

My evening was going swell. Did he really have to make it worse? Drug me up and screw me over to get even? How fucking sensitive. I tried to get up, defend myself. Then it all went to hell.

* * *

**_A/N: CAN'T DAMON AND LIDYA AND VANE JUST CHILL FOR A WHILE AND GET SOME DRINKS? SERIOUSSLY. _**

_But oh ho ho, here's 'my' favourite Original as well. Hope you liked it, you guys. Thanks again for reading! _


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